Red Geass
by elarielf
Summary: The death of a person of unknown origin at Ashford Academy wouldn't normally warrent the Area Burreau of Investigation. But when the suspects are an Eleven in the military and his odd friend, Jane might be a little too clever at his job for his own good.
1. Murder Most Expected

"What d'you got?"

"Male, mid-twenties, no ID, shot once. Coroner's not done yet, but it was a clean shot, point-blank range and up through his neck; cause of death's not really a mystery."

"And?"

"And two boys. Students here." Rigsby hesitated. "One's an Honorary Britannian."

Lisbon sighed. "And the local police…"

"They would've hauled him off before we got here if his friend hadn't stopped them," Rigsby said. "He quoted procedure at them until they called us in."

Lisbon tried to hide a smirk. "A wanna-be cop?" Her smirk faded. "Or a wanna-be lawyer?"

"Uh… no." Rigsby shook his head. "I… honestly, boss, I don't know what to make of him."

That was a surprise. A school kid unnerving Rigsby was unexpected. Well… a _male_ school kid unnerving Rigsby, at least. If it had been a girl, there would at least be a chance for the overly provocative precociousness that unnerved even Lisbon on occasion. A quick scan of the crime scene located the two boys, one huddled in what looked like guilt and shame, the other standing between him and the policemen on site. Lisbon preferred catching murderers to framing Numbers, but this picture really looked like an open-and-shut case. "Are you sure the Eleven didn't do it?"

"Honorary Britannian," Jane corrected her cheerfully. "And he might have, but that's not why he looks like that."

Lisbon wasn't in the mood. She didn't ask the question he so clearly wanted her to, quickening her pace instead towards the two boys.

"Hey. I'm Theresa Lisbon from the local ABI. Do you have a moment?"

The Eleven didn't look up from the ground. His friend answered instead. "We're minors. Don't we need someone here while you interview us?"

"You sure as hell weren't talking like a minor before," one of the local cops grumbled. The teenager smirked slightly.

Lisbon smiled her talking-to-kids-smile. "You're what? Seventeen?" The teenager hesitated, then nodded, apparently figuring that was safe information to give out. "That's pretty darn close to adult. You're not being accused of anything. We just want to know what you saw."

"Nothing," he answered. "We were in the chapel when it happened."

"And your friend?"

That made the kid bristle. "We were _both_ in the chapel when in happened. I thought I made that rather clear with my pronoun choice."

"No, she meant to ask if he saw or heard anything you might have missed." Jane grinned cheerfully. "But your reflexive defensiveness is noted and reflects rather badly on your…_ friend_."

Lisbon bit her tongue as Jane's tone turned snide at the last word. The boy flushed with anger, but he took a deep breath before speaking. Better control than most adults had when dealing with Jane.

"My attitude shouldn't reflect on him at all." He bowed slightly to Lisbon. "My apologies for my rudeness."

"Not a problem," Lisbon said graciously, over Jane's softer "Interesting…". She ignored him. "Would it be okay if we asked you and your friend some more questions?"

The boy frowned thoughtfully for a moment. Lisbon tried not to laugh at the image of a seventeen-year-old boy trying to decide whether or not to agree to an agent's request. "Can we stay together?"

"Sure." _For now…_

"Then we'd be more than happy to cooperate." The boy smiled, suddenly charming. He held out a hand. "Lelouch Lamperouge."

Lisbon took it. "And your friend?"

"Kuru…ah, Suzaku Kururugi," Lelouch answered. "Oh. You might need to contact his commanding officer before asking him any questions."

"…what?"

Lelouch's smile turned almost sweet. "Didn't you speak with the other officers? He's a Warrant Officer in the Britannian military. Isn't that why you guys were called?"

Lisbon could practically hear Jane smirking. "And _that's_ why a single death wouldn't be enough to make him react like that."

"No, I suspect not." Lelouch's smile dropped off his face as he faced Jane. "How did you know?"

Jane cleared his throat. "Well, there are a lot of little signs. Subtle to the common eye, but apparent to those of us with experience…"

"Did you recognize him from TV?"

"…maybe."

Lisbon frowned at Jane. "What?"

"Uh, well. This is Suzaku Kururugi. He was accused of killing Prince Clovis earlier this year." Jane shrugged. "Local politics are rarely _that_ interesting."

Lisbon recognized him now. He was unbruised, unchained, and his eyes were haunted instead of resigned yet hopeful, but it was the same boy. "Zero killed Prince Clovis."

"So he claimed," Jane… sort of agreed.

"Uh, guys?" Rigsby interrupted. "We found the gun."

"Excuse us." Lisbon waved vaguely at Lelouch and followed Rigsby. Jane stayed behind.

"Don't you have to go with them? Look at the gun or something?" Lelouch demanded, his polite voice replaced by a hard tone.

Jane shrugged. "I've seen guns before." He shuddered lightly. "Horrible things. Created to kill people with no other purpose."

"Not so. There's hunting, intimidation, style, fashion…" Lelouch argued. His friend made a soft sound and suddenly, Jane felt Lelouch's attention shift away from him.

It left him feeling oddly… deprived.

Lelouch knelt by his friend's side. "Suzaku?"

Suzaku blinked and raised his head. "Lelouch? I didn't… _Ore wa_…"

"Shh…" Lelouch reached out and stroked Suzaku's hair. "_Mou daijoubu_… s'okay, Suzaku…"

"Should you really lie to him like that?" Jane asked curiously.

"Shut up." Lelouch's voice never raised above a soothing whisper. "It's okay, Suzaku. You're safe, I'm safe, Nunnally's safe… we're all safe. You did it. You protected us."

"I… did?" Suzaku looked into Lelouch's eyes. "I didn't want to, Lelouch, but I had to. Japan, you, Nunnally… I had to protect you all."

Lelouch nodded encouragingly. "And you did. I'm so grateful, Suzaku…"

"Hmm… no, you're not," Jane said. He didn't flinch at Lelouch's glare. "You're… resentful? Something like that in any case."

Lelouch stood suddenly, seeming taller than his actual height. Jane blinked, not used to those techniques working on him. "You have _no_ idea what you're talking about." The barely suppressed rage nearly scalded the air between them. Jane nearly took a step back, intimidated by this slim boy. "This is _private_ and none of your business. Get out."

It was almost enough to get through Jane's layers of mental protection. Not quite, though. He stepped closer to the fiery fury. "Listen, kid. You're the one who has no idea what you're talking about. This is a _murder_ investigation, and you'd be doing everyone a favour if you'd just smarten up."

One more step and Lelouch was directly in Jane's personal space. "If this is a murder investigation, find the damn murderer and leave us alone!"

Jane blinked and stepped back. "I am. What?"

Lelouch was knocked off balance by Jane's sudden withdrawal. "I… you… just go away." He was no longer a tower of righteous anger. Now he was a seventeen-year-old boy, just trying to get an older and more powerful man to leave him and his friend alone. The transformation, even though Jane had provoked it on purpose, was still stunning.

"Sure." Jane grinned and turned away. "You should ask nicely next time."

He left Lelouch sputtering and unsure, strolling to where Lisbon and Rigsby were standing by the corpse.

"Hey, what took so long?" Rigsby asked, almost nervously. Before Jane could answer he continued, just a beat too quick to be as casual as he tried to make it sound. "Something's off about that kid, isn't there?"

"Who, Lelouch?" Jane asked. "Nah, perfectly normal high school junior. What's with all the bandages?"

"What banda… oh, the dead guy. Dunno. Coroner says he's covered head-to-toe in injuries. Recent and severe, but well treated." Rigsby laughed. "Actually, it looks like he was in a firefight a few weeks ago."

"Huh." Jane looked at him. "Any gang connections?"

"No tats." Which ruled out the traditional Eleven _Yakuza_ gangs. "He was carrying; the gun was in the chapel, but the caliber was wrong. This is the gun that killed him."

Jane took one look at the gun and shrugged. It was a standard handgun with a silencer. It could easily be the victim's as well. The victim himself was more interesting, but not particularly helpful clue-wise. His clothing was odd – hat, cloak, headphones, very odd sunglasses…

"What's with the sunglasses?"

"They're not glasses. It's some kind of visor that blocks light nearly completely." Rigsby shrugged. "Maybe he was blind or something."

There was nothing obviously wrong with his eyes. Maybe the autopsy would show something. Jane picked up the headphones and fiddled with the knobs.

_Are you awake Mao? Forgive me, Mao…_

"Mao?"

Lisbon looked over from where she was talking to the coroner. "Van Pelt's running it through the system. There's no last name."

"Whose voice is it?"

Rigsby laughed. "Maybe it's the killer's." No one joined in. "What? Seriously? But it's a girl's voice. Like, almost a kid's."

Jane shot a look at the two boys talking softly on the chapel's steps. "Kids can be more than they seem."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lloyd Asplund was a genius. Everyone agreed with this. He was also eccentric and his priorities were skewed. Everyone agreed with this as well. Unfortunately, in addition to all that, he was an Earl, so it didn't matter what other qualities he had. He was nobility.

Lisbon _hated _dealing with nobility.

"Lord Asplund…"

"Please call me Lloyd." The man was dressed like a mad scientist. It was hard to remember that he was a peer of the realm. He scowled suddenly. "Unless you're here to take away my devicer."

"…devicer?"

"Warrant Officer Kururugi." Lord Asplund's assistant came by with tea. "He's the Lancelot's pilot."

Lloyd cackled. "The _one and only_ pilot! He's the perfect part! Ninety-four percent, my dear, _ninety-four_!" Lisbon also hated being called 'my dear'. "No one else comes close. He's vital and you can't have him."

"Nevertheless, My Lord…" Lisbon kept her tone calm. "We're investigating a murder. If he's guilty…"

"Pfft, murder," Lloyd scoffed. "Suzaku and the Lancelot have killed dozens of men. It's what they _do_. You accept that, it comes with the job. Build a better mousetrap; kill more mouses. Mice. Elevens. Whatever." He shrugged. "Can't I just say it was on my orders and let's leave the whole thing there?"

"Was it?"

"Haah?"

Jane leaned in closer. "Did you order the killing?"

Lloyd blinked. "Um. Yes? No? What?"

Jane leaned back, laughing lightly. "Very good. Has anyone ever gotten a decent read on you?"

"Once," Lloyd answered promptly. "When I was younger and even being the son of Lord Asplund wasn't enough to get me out of trouble." He winked awkwardly, like someone who wasn't used to winking. "Girl troubles, you know."

That didn't quite fit. Jane quirked an eye up at Lloyd's assistant, who was blushing furiously. "Girl troubles, huh?"

"…she was Indian." The assistant shifted uncomfortably. "It was a minor scandal."

"Cecile, right?" Jane beamed at her. "Were you there at the time?"

"Excuse me, what does this have to do with the murder?" Lisbon asked. They weren't here for anything other than permission to interrogate the Kururugi kid. Jane shrugged and she took over again. "Lord… _Lloyd_, your devicer was present at a murder and we need your permission to talk with him. If he didn't do anything we'll have him back within the day."

While Lloyd hummed in thought, Cecile smiled nervously at Lisbon. "Suzaku's a good boy. He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Unless the fly was a member of the Black Knights," Jane corrected.

Cecile's smile twitched. "Well, of course, he does his duty to the Empire, but he's really very gentle. Loves cats."

"Huh." Jane filed that information away for later. "So can we talk to him?"

"Sure!" Lloyd agreed. "He had today off anyways."

Lisbon was a bit taken aback by the quick, easy answer. "…thank you, My Lord."

"No worries." Lloyd drained his cup and stood, stretching. "Now if that's everything, we still have work to do."

Lisbon knew a dismissal when she heard it. "Of course. Thank you again for your time."

Lloyd had already walked away. Lisbon set her cup down and turned to go.

"Now about that Indian girl…"

"Jane!"

Jane sighed. "She's always in such a hurry." He handed his mostly-empty cup to Cecile. "The tea was delicious."

"_Jane_…"

"Coming!" Jane trotted up to Lisbon, almost thrumming with cheerfulness.

Lisbon managed thirty seconds before caving. "Well?"

"Purely platonic relationship. The Indian girl wasn't romantic or sexual either; I'd be surprised if our dear Lord Asplund has even a whiff of a libido. All he cares about is Knightmares, which means…"

Lisbon regretted asking. "Is this relevant to the investigation?"

"Prooobably not," Jane chirped. "She was either a pilot or an engineer. Probably an engineer since he sees pilots as parts. Now you hear 'Indian' and "Knightmare engineer' together and what pops up?"

"Of course!" Lisbon stopped dead in her tracks. "That explains everything!"

Jane stared at her. "What?"

"Exactly." Lisbon glared mildly. "If it's not relevant, keep it _inside_ your head."

Jane pouted, his previous good mood evaporated. "Fine, be that way." He trailed after Lisbon, significantly less bouncy than before.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch held Suzaku's hand lightly. He wasn't usually this touchy, but Suzaku wasn't usually this broken. They hadn't had a moment to talk about Mao's revelation that Suzaku had killed his own father to end the war. There had been the minutes after C.C. shot Mao, leaving them alone in the chapel, when Lelouch verified that Suzaku really _had_ done it, but before he'd been able to offer any true comfort, the police burst in, and his priority had immediately shifted from comforting Suzaku to protecting him.

He'd managed to get the Area Bureau of Investigation involved, knowing that they were less likely to scapegoat Suzaku for being an Honorary Britannian, but that hadn't bought them any privacy, just time. There was always an agent with them, although the one with long auburn hair (who sort of reminded him of Shirley, as much as he didn't want to think of her) had been surprisingly gentle and considerate.

This agent was less so. Perhaps it was that he'd been called with the go-ahead to interrogate them, maybe it was the simple fact that he was male, but Lelouch suspected it was mostly that he was clearly not Britannian. Not that that made him any less of a person, just that for someone like him to rise to this rank he had to be better, more vicious, more successful than his Britannian peers.

And he clearly was.

"Given where the victim fell, it's clear he'd just left the chapel. What was he doing in there with you?"

Lelouch decided to tell the truth. "Playing chess."

"…chess."

"It's a long story," Lelouch admitted.

"We have time."

Suzaku shook his head. "Just tell him, Lelouch."

Lelouch sighed. "The whole story is that 'the victim', as you call him, kidnapped my sister, challenged me to a chess match with her life as the forfeit, and was a sore loser. But we didn't kill him."

"…why?"

That was a really good question. Lelouch decided to go with a half truth. "To be honest, Agent Cho, I'm not exactly sure. But I'll admit that it might have been my fault. I've occasionally gambled over chess games before. He might have been from one of my previous opponents."

"Gambling, truancy…" Cho stared at him. "You're not exactly the typical honour student."

Lelouch smiled. "I don't think my marks are that good either." Cho continued staring. "None of it's technically illegal. The wagers are agreed on beforehand and the matches aren't organized by any corporation or individual other than the participants."

"You're still underage."

"…true. I don't suppose 'I needed the money' is a decent excuse."

"No. And dabbling in illegal activities isn't convincing me that you didn't shoot your sister's kidnapper."

Lelouch bit his lip thoughtfully. "I would have." Suzaku whimpered and Lelouch stroked his hand soothingly. "Nothing makes me angrier than threats or insults to my sister. But she was safe by the time Mao was shot."

"How did you know his name?"

"He told me." Lelouch answered immediately. "And to answer your next few questions, he didn't tell me who hired him, I'd never seen him before in my life, I don't own a gun, and if he had left alive, I might have tracked him down and killed him, but he didn't so it doesn't matter. Anything else?"

Cho turned to Suzaku. "And you?"

"I…" Suzaku remembered as best he could everything that happened after he broke in through the stain-glass window into Lelouch and Mao's chess game. "I was going to arrest him. For kidnapping Nunnally. He had a gun." His green eyes locked with Cho's. "Did you find his gun?"

"That's not important. How did he leave if you were about to arrest him?"

"He… he said…"

"Suzaku." Lelouch placed a finger gently over his lips. "It's okay." He turned to Cho. "He made some accusations. Suzaku was shaken."

"…by accusations?"

"They were pretty horrible." Lelouch smiled in an entirely unpleasant way. "Too bad we can't remember any of the details."

"Huh. Too bad." Cho's expression didn't change. "So you let a dangerous kidnapper go because he hurt your feelings?"

"Pretty much." Suzaku laughed softly. "Pitiful, huh? Sorry Lelouch. I let you and Nunnally down."

Lelouch shook his head. "You did not. You saved us. Again."

There was a knock at the door before Cho could react to that. It was the nice agent from before. "Boss needs us."

Cho closed the file and left without another word. The female agent smiled at Lelouch and Suzaku. "Did you boys need anything?"

"We're fine, thanks…" Lelouch wracked his brain for her name. "Agent Van Pelt. Thank you."

"No problem." She flashed another smile and left.

Lelouch sighed. Shirley was barely tough enough to survive the student council; imagining her as a cop was unthinkable. Maybe this Van Pelt was the team's soft touch, their eternal 'good cop'…

"Hey, Lelouch didn't you say that the kidnapping had nothing to do with your gambling?"

Well. This was a fine time for Suzaku to develop a good memory. "I might have been in denial. After some thought, though, what else could it be?" He hoped Suzaku wasn't so stupid to answer that in an interrogation room where anyone could overhear them.

He wasn't. His face screwed up in a half-apologetic, half-irritated grimace. It was funny enough to make Lelouch laugh. "Don't worry, Suzaku. I've stopped now, I would never do anything that might place Nunnally in danger."

"I know," Suzaku said softly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you'd lied to me…"

"It's fine," Lelouch interrupted. "Just stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong." He hesitated, knowing that anyone could be listening in, but it had to be said. He leaned in and lowered his voice. "You didn't do anything wrong. Not today and not then. You've always done what needed to be done, and nothing will change between us."

Suzaku closed his eyes and bit his lip as a tremor ran through him. "Lelouch… thank you. Thank you so much…"

Lelouch reached out and held him, as he'd wanted to hold him in the chapel. Suzaku buried his head in the crook of Lelouch's neck and breathed unsteadily as Lelouch carded his fingers through his unruly hair.

On the other side of the mirror, Jane watched the private moment, frowning slightly.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"We don't have any hits on 'Mao' or anyone matching his description." Van Pelt sounded irritated. "Not even a passport or driver's licence." She wasn't used to coming up empty handed. "Australia and the EU are balking at sharing information and China's just flat-out refused."

"Great." Lisbon sighed. "What about the boys?"

"Lamperouge and his sister are under the guardianship of the Ashfords. He has two accounts – one for the household and one for, I presume, his gambling." Van Pelt handed Lisbon a few sheets of paper. "His gambling account has been steadily growing since it was opened two years ago with a few massive withdrawals that I've tracked to various investment accounts."

Rigsby snorted. "So he's good."

"Generally," Van Pelt agreed. "There were a few large withdrawals a few months ago that just disappeared so I guess he loses sometimes. Other than that, there's no record of him before he was ten. They were probably lost during the war."

That was the irritating thing about working law-enforcement in war-torn countries. No continuity of records. Lisbon sighed. "And Kururugi?"

"He's a little more interesting," Van Pelt said. "Apart for the incident when he was accused of killing Prince Clovis, he had a spotless record in the military. Joined as soon as he could, on his fourteenth birthday, has consistently practically perfect scores, no charges of insubordination. The first Eleven to pilot a Knightmare, promoted to Warrant Officer by the Viceroy herself. _But_…" Van Pelt grinned. "Before all that he was Genbu Kururugi's only son when the man was Prime Minister."

Lisbon blinked. "Genbu Kururugi had a son?"

"I know!" Van Pelt nearly crowed. "He was hidden from the public until Genbu's suicide, then when he joins the military, he just writes his father's name on the form. No one even caught it; Kururugi's not that uncommon a name, and what would the Prime Minister's son be doing in the army?"

"Apparently getting perfect scores." Lisbon frowned. It didn't make Kururugi any more likely a suspect unless Mao had known… "Keep looking into this, Van Pelt. I want to know how the former Prime Minister of Japan's son got access to a leading-edge prototypical Knightmare."

"You might also want to ask how the former Prime Minister of Japan's son became such close friends with a Britannian." Jane suggested.

"Where have you been?" Lisbon demanded. Jane had disappeared somewhere between the car and the office.

Jane shrugged. "Spying on the kids. They've got _history_. Mutual secrets, past shame… plus, I think they might be gay."

"Jane, what did I tell you? If it's not relevant, keep it inside your head." Lisbon sighed. "Alright I want more info on Lamperouge too. There has to be something from before the war."

"Yes boss." Van Pelt returned to her computer.

Lisbon sighed. "Oh, and tell the EU and Australians that we're trying to convict a Britannian for murdering one of their own. That might get them to open up a bit."

"Right."

"Rigsby, we're going back to the school to talk to the girl about the kidnapping. Maybe she heard something while in captivity. Cho, get the kids to sign their statement and let them go."

Jane wavered for a moment before grabbing his coat. "I call shotgun."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch signed with a flourish and handed his statement to Cho. Suzaku's blockier, messier signature on the other paper joined his. Cho filed them away. "The bureau will contact you if we have any follow-up questions."

"Thank you." Suzaku bowed as he left. Lelouch followed him, pausing with his hand on the door.

"Agent Cho?"

Suzaku whirled in alarm at Lelouch's quiet, polite question. "Oh, Lelouch, don't…"

"Yes?" Cho answered.

Lelouch ignored Suzaku. "I was wondering if you were posted here because you look like an Eleven." Cho's expression didn't change. Lelouch's smile widened slightly. "Were you?"

"Possibly." Cho said.

"Oh." Lelouch didn't look like he'd been expecting the affirmative answer, but rallied quickly. "You don't though. Not really. Your features are too coarse and your nose is all wrong."

"And?"

Lelouch shrugged. "It just strikes me as a typical bureaucratic decision. You're Chinese aren't you?"

"I'm Britannian," Cho intoned. "Second-generation."

"Hmm… and yet still a second-class citizen." Lelouch said thoughtfully before Suzaku grabbed his arm and yanked him through the door.

"So-sorry, Agent Cho. He talks too much sometimes," Suzaku apologized, bowing repeatedly. "We're really, _really_ sorry. Um. Have a nice day?"

"You too."

Lelouch wrenched his arm free the moment Suzaku let him. "You didn't need to apologize for me, Suzaku."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Suzaku hissed. "So what if he doesn't look Britannian? He's still part of a team that's investigating us for murder, remember?"

"But we didn't do it," Lelouch said reasonably. "So there's no reason not to have a high-stakes, emotionally wrought political discussion with someone who's been personally harmed by Britannia's xenophobic policies is there?"

"Your logic is so insane I don't even know where to start." Suzaku sighed. "Listen, the last thing I need is _another_ murder investigation. If I keep missing work, _I'll_ be the next dead body found."

Lelouch snorted. "Don't worry. If you're falsely accused again, I'm sure Zero will ride to your rescue like last time."

"That's not funny." Suzaku scowled. "How can you even joke about that? He killed your bro_mgph_–"

"Suzaku," Lelouch said sincerely. "Honestly, sometimes I think you're too stupid to live."

"Mgh forry," Suzaku mumbled from behind Lelouch's hand.


	2. Attack of the Killer Politics

Rigsby was a fan of footwork. Walking and talking solved more mysteries that any clever computer work or postulating while lying on a comfy couch. However, when confronted by a blind girl in a wheelchair and her eternally smiling Eleven maid, he kind of wished they'd done more prep this time.

"Um… the man who kidnapped you… did he look… er… uh, _sound_ familiar?"

The maid shot him a mildly pitying look. Still smiling.

At least the blind girl seemed to be taking him seriously. Her brow furrowed with thought as she contemplated the question. "No. I don't think so. I'm sorry, Agent Rigsby."

Rigsby shot Lisbon a pleading look. She rolled her eyes and mouthed 'coward' at him before taking over.

"Miss Lamperouge, it's important. The man who kidnapped you was killed and so far the only suspects we have are your brother and his friend. If there's anything you can think of that could point us in another direction…"

Nunnally shook her head. "I'm sorry, Agent Lisbon. But I'm sure my brother and Suzaku are innocent."

"Because they would never do something like that?" Jane asked.

Nunnally turned her head slightly to face him. "No, never."

"Really?" Jane asked. "Even though Kururugi has killed dozens of people for the army?"

"Even then," Nunnally said. "He's a good person. He would never kill anyone if there was another option." Her voice never wavered.

"And your brother?"

Nunnally hesitated. "He's never harmed anyone in his life."

"But he could," Jane pressed.

Nunnally didn't answer for a moment. Then she held out a small hand, palm up. "Mr. Jane, was it? May I have your hand, please?"

Jane thought about it for a moment. The girl was fifteen, which wasn't too young to run a decent scam, but it was highly unlikely that she could out-con him. Still, being on the other side of a polite mind game was always somewhat awkward. "Sure." He placed his hand, palm-down, on hers.

"Do you think my brother is capable of murder?"

"Without a doubt," Jane answered promptly. Nunnally looked momentarily distressed before her expression cleared.

"And do you think that he killed that man?"

Honestly, Jane didn't. The Honorary Britannian was the more likely murderer with his Britannian friend covering for him. But that response wouldn't get them answers. "He's our best suspect so far."

"…apart from Suzaku, you mean," Nunnally gently corrected him.

"Well, sure…" Jane peered at her. He face was as peaceful as it was focused. It was somewhat unnerving. "But he's still a suspect."

"But you don't think he did it," Nunnally stated. She smiled. "I don't either, Mr. Jane."

Jane looked hard at her. "But he could."

Nunnally nodded. Her voice was small as she answered. "Yes, I think he could…"

"Pardon me, sir, but would you like some refreshment?" Sayoko interrupted. "I apologize for not offering sooner."

Jane didn't look away from the blind girl's troubled face. "You'd seriously leave your charge alone while making tea?"

Sayoko didn't answer and Jane wasn't looking at her face, so he missed her eyes flickering to the door moments before it opened. "Sayoko-san? Nunnally? I'm home."

Rigsby's gun was half-drawn before he registered the voice, recognizing it as the arrogant teen from earlier that day. Lisbon shot him a glare – one that said as clearly as any words 'do _not_ shoot the underage suspect/witness'. Sayoko smiled. "We're in here, Lelouch-sama."

The Japanese honorifics didn't escape Jane's notice, but he was still focused on Nunnally, on the guilt and almost fear that crossed her face before settling into a pleasant welcoming smile. "Welcome home."

"Sorry I'm late, I was just… _what are you doing here_?"

If the Lamperouge boy had wanted to deflect suspicion from himself, the barely suppressed rage and indignation wasn't a very good way to do it. Lisbon stepped within his line of vision between where Jane was still holding Nunnally's hand. "We're conducting a murder investigation, Mr. Lamperouge. If you would like to sit in on the interview, that would be fine, but we're not going to leave just because you scowled at us."

"Actually, I'm done." Jane corrected mildly. "We can go anytime now."

Lisbon glared at him. "We are _not_ done."

"Seriously, Lisbon?" Jane asked, with complete innocence. "You're going to keep pressing this poor crippled girl?" Lelouch's anger was suddenly focused on him. Jane felt an animalistic fight-or-flight shudder run through him, but managed to hide it. "Particularly after she's been through so much today already with the kidnapping and everything…"

"Get away from my sister."

"Hey, no problem." Jane lifted his hands in a universal gesture of harmlessness and peace. Lelouch continued to radiate a protective fury.

Nunnally leaned forward. "I asked him to. They have been nothing but polite."

The most amazing transformation occurred. Lelouch closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and when he opened them again, he was nothing more than a seventeen-year-old boy. "I see. Thank you for your courtesy." He didn't look at anyone as he crossed the room to take one of Nunnally's hands in his own. "How are you feeling Nunnally?"

"I'm fine." Nunnally looked up at her brother's concerned face. "Sayoko-san has been with me this whole time. We were planning to bake cookies."

"That's great. Your cookies are the best." Lelouch smiled down at his sister, and Lisbon had the inane thought that is was a pity the girl was blind because it was the sweetest, most adoring smile she'd ever seen.

Then Lelouch's eyes flickered up at her and the cold, unfriendly look was miles away from that smile. "Was there anything else you needed?"

Honestly there wasn't, but his attitude (and Jane's to be honest) made Lisbon wish there was. "We'll be in touch."

"We'll be here," Lelouch retorted. "I hope you can see yourselves out."

The dismissal was as clear as it was inappropriate. Jane had already clasped Rigsby's shoulder in a manly gesture and subtly steered him towards the door, leaving Lisbon with the option of looking foolish if she chose to fight the dismissal. She sighed and followed the men, feeling as though she'd lost a meaningless but irritating battle.

She felt that way a lot since she started working with Jane, but usually it was his fault.

It wasn't until she was doing up her seatbelt that she noticed Jane cradling the hand that Nunnally had held, almost nursing it. "What's up with that?"

"Hmm? Oh." Jane shook his out hand and smiled an empty smile. "Bad vibes… negative mojo… you know how it is."

"Bullshit."

"Well if you're going to _call_ me on it…" Jane sighed. "What is it with blind girls and their faith in murderers?"

The rhetorical question wasn't as rhetorical as it seemed. "Are you thinking of Rosalind Harker?" Jane had been moody after meeting the blind beau of Red John, but he'd been unusually temperamental during that entire investigation.

Jane looked out the window, again uncharacteristically moody. "Is it wrong that the fact that his sister loves and trusts him makes me suspect Lelouch more?"

"…yes," Lisbon said, almost tempted to start laughing. This was ridiculous. "Yes, it is. You need to keep a clear head, Jane." She'd never thought she would have needed to give him this talk. "This isn't a Red John case; you need to keep your prejudices out of this."

"I know." Jane sighed and shook his head. "Right. Okay. The maid's a bit off."

"She has an iron-clad alibi," Lisbon shot back, glad to be talking about the case. "She was untying Nunnally and bringing her back to the house."

"Right. She's still off." There had been a moment, when they'd first appeared at the door, when Jane had felt as vulnerable and threatened as if someone was pointing a gun at his head. All the maid had done was smile and let them in. Still… "Fine, so she's not our murderer. There's still the brother."

"And other than the motive, opportunity and possibly means, we have no evidence," Lisbon said. "Apart from the fact that his sister loves him. And I'd've thought you would have hated him for a suspect. Too obvious, not layered enough."

Jane shook his head, looking out the window again. "I'm missing something…"

He spent the rest of the drive in silence.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Lulu! Open up!" Milly's cheerful voice grated on Lelouch's nerves. "I know you're in there!"

Lelouch shot Sayoko an apologetic look. "Sorry, Nunnally, I'll go see what she wants." Sayoko nodded and took Lelouch's position behind Nunnally's chair, continuing to wheel her into the kitchen. Cookies still needed to be baked.

It wasn't just Milly. Apart from Suzaku and Kallen, the entire Student Council stood in his doorway, including (unfortunately) Shirley. Lelouch predicted awkwardness and confusion. He wasn't prone to headaches, but if he didn't have one by the end of today, it would be a miracle. "Was there something you wanted, President?"

Milly pushed her way in, practically dragging Rivalz and Shirley in with her. Nina followed at a more dignified distance. She gave Lelouch a half-smile before retreating to the back of the group. Lelouch wished he could get out from Milly's attention as easily.

"We've heard _everything_!" Milly declared. "Foul actions afoot, my own vice-president accused of _murder_!" ("Not really," Lelouch muttered under his breath. "Please don't try to stop her," Rivalz pled. "She's been rehearsing this since they took you to their headquarters.") "Of course, the Ashford Student Council stands with you!" Milly shoved Shirley in front of her. "Don't we, Shirley?"

"Of course." Shirley looked a little surprised at being pushed practically into Lelouch's personal space. She rallied well, however, smiling cheerfully at Lelouch. "Don't worry, vice-president. We've got your back!"

It was an almost painfully generic gesture of support, without the embarrassing blushing and stammering that would have normally accompanied it. Of course, with Shirley's memories of him wiped by Lelouch's _geass_ so that she could forget the horrible truth that he was Zero and responsible for her father's death, she was calmer and more controlled around him. There was no trace of her previous crush, of the girl who kissed him out of sadness and desperation in the rain, or of the girl who pointed a gun at him in despair and shame.

Lelouch refused to allow himself to regret replacing that girl with this one. "Thank you Shirley." He stepped back to take in Rivalz and Nina as well. "Thank you everyone, but it's really unnecessary. They're just following protocol and procedure." His gaze met Milly's. "Although I'll admit I didn't appreciate it when they came to speak with Nunnally without me present."

Milly's eyes widened as she realized that there was even more at stake here than it seemed. If the ABI figured out that Nunnally and Lelouch were the lost princess and prince of Britannia… "Bullying Nunnally! That's unforgivable!" Her mind raced. "I'll be telling my grandfather immediately. You're one thing, Lulu. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love ya and all, but bullying _Nunna-chan_?"

Her passion was enough to rile Rivalz up. "How could they? Hey, Lelouch d'you want some extra protection on her? I know a few guys who owe me some favours…"

"I don't mind studying here sometime if you're busy, Lelouch," Nina offered. The ABI had a strict Britannian-only hiring policy. No Numbers. "I can't do much, but I could call for help."

Lelouch smiled genuinely. It was nice having backup plans. "I appreciate the offers, but I don't think it will be necessary." Milly met his eyes with her own narrowed. He nodded slightly – he still wanted Lord Ashford's protection. She nodded back. "I'm sure they'll find the real killer soon and everything will return to normal."

"What if…" Nina started to ask before trailing off. She wasn't nearly as frightened of Suzaku as she had been when he first came to school, but the idea of his committing murder certainly wasn't unthinkable. However, saying that in front of Lelouch was. "Never mind."

The others continued as if she hadn't said anything. "It's still scary that there was a killer on campus and no one had any idea," Shirley admitted.

"And he was so close to Lelouch!" Rivalz added, almost enthusiastically, as if this was a movie rather than real life. "One wrong move, man, and…"

"Rivalz, shut up." Milly shot him a glare. "The point is Lelouch and Suzaku are fine and this mystery will be solved soon enough by the professionals."

Lelouch couldn't agree more. "Exactly. As long as they leave Nunnally alone."

"Of course!" Shirley agreed vehemently, the first time she'd shown any passion. "Just because they're the police doesn't mean that they can do whatever they want! Papa used to say that the more power you held, the more you needed to be careful how you exercise it."

There was a long, drawn out, awkward moment of silence. Shirley's father had been killed a few weeks ago, and had been a delicate subject within the Student Council. Shirley hadn't mentioned it recently, but

the way she had brought it up now – without any evidence of grief – was extremely out of character. Shirley, for her part, seemed to deflate the longer the silence went on, clearly clueless why her words had triggered it.

The twinge of guilt that Lelouch had initially felt when she'd smiled impersonally at him intensified as he realized he'd stolen her mourning from her. He could remember his mother's death and how deeply it had affected him, the pain and the strength that he'd drawn from it. Using his _geass_ to try to take away Shirley's sadness had robbed her of that. In the end, had it been a selfish act rather than a benevolent one?

What must Shirley's mother think, watching her daughter continue living her life as if the death of her father was meaningless?

Fortunately, Sayoko chose that moment to poke her head into the room. "The cookies will be done in a few minutes, if you and your friends would like to move to the dining area, Lelouch-sama."

"Ooh, did Nunnally bake?" Shirley asked, as glad for the distraction as Lelouch secretly was. "I love her baking!"

"Ah, well then, it's this way." Lelouch led the group to the table.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"…oh, good. Just make sure you get a good night's sleep." Lelouch smiled. "Mmm, just a moment." He handed the phone to Nunnally. "Suzaku would like to speak with you. And _then_ you're going to bed, young lady. You've had a long day."

Nunnally stuck her tongue out and took the phone. "Suzaku-san? Are you well?" There was a pause. "That's good. I never got to thank you after you rescued me." Another pause, then a laugh. "Well, it's a good thing you divided the labour up that way, because I can't imagine you bluffing someone any more than I can imagine my brother flying through the air to disarm a bomb." The pause was longer this time, and Nunnally's cheerful smile faded into something more nostalgic. "Of course. He is too. Mmhmm… I'll tell him. Good night, Suzaku-san. Pleasant dreams." Nunnally hung up the phone.

"Well?" Lelouch asked.

"Suzaku-san said I should be allowed to stay up," Nunnally said with a straight face.

Lelouch laughed. "Sure he did, Nunnally. What did he actually say?"

"He thanked you for trusting him."

"Oh." Lelouch felt his chest swell at that. He was glad that Suzaku had relayed that through Nunnally, because if he'd told Lelouch that directly, Lelouch would have been tempted to deflect the intimate moment with a witticism. He wasn't able to be so glib to Nunnally, however. "I… that's…"

Nunnally reached out and unerringly placed a finger over Lelouch's lips. "You don't always have to say something. Just accept it."

Lelouch wrapped his hand around Nunnally's. "When did you get so wise?"

"I've always been like this," Nunnally chirped. "You were just too busy being my big brother to notice."

The realization that he'd almost lost her suddenly flooded through Lelouch. "Nunnally…"

"Um, I feel kind of silly asking for this, but could you sleep in my room tonight?" Nunnally interrupted him. "I'm not _scared_ exactly…"

"No, I understand," Lelouch said quickly. He felt the same way; not scared, but wanting to stay by Nunnally's side just in case. "I'd be… I'd like that."

When they got to Nunnally's room, the cot was already set up. Lelouch silently sent Sayoko thanks for what seemed the thousandth time that day.

Lelouch left Nunnally to prepare for bed as he changed into his pyjamas and washed up. C.C. was in his room, sitting on the bed, staring into space.

Lelouch hesitated uncertainly. She'd shot Mao. Technically, this was all her fault – if she'd dealt with Mao properly before, none of this would have happened in the first place. Nunnally wouldn't have been placed in danger, Suzaku wouldn't have been psychologically wounded, and Lelouch wouldn't be in danger of having his identity revealed during a routine murder investigation.

…C.C. looked sad. Almost lost.

"C.C." Lelouch spoke up tentatively, unsure if he was angry or pitying at this point. All he knew was that leaving her alone without even saying something would be cruel.

C.C. looked up at him. "Lelouch. Is Nunnally well?" Her monotone voice held no emotion.

"Yes." Lelouch shifted awkwardly. What was it about C.C. that made him feel like a little boy? "She asked me to sleep in her room tonight, so you can have the bed to yourself."

"Ah. Good." C.C. returned to looking at the wall. "I'll stay out of the way while the ABI are investigating."

_Of course you will – you're the culprit_. Lelouch bit back his instinctive retort. C.C. was trying to reassure him… was this her way of apologizing? "Thank you." He hesitated. "C.C., if you wanted to talk about it…"

"With an ignorant boy like you?" C.C. scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Just go to your sister and let me get some sleep."

…the damn witch never changed. Lelouch managed a small smile, somewhat relieved to see her acting normally. Well. Normally for _her_. "I'm looking forward to it. Although Nunnally snores and you don't."

"I don't?" C.C. looked mildly interested at that. "That's good to know."

Lelouch rolled his eyes and waved as he left the room. "Just don't get all smug about it."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Milly tapped on her grandfather's door. He was a busy man and, although he adored her, he'd been spending a lot of time acting as an intermediary between her and her mother over the proposed engagements. Milly felt rather guilty about bothering him about something else.

"Come in."

Milly slid into the room before smiling as cutely as she could get away with. Her grandfather took one look at her and chuckled fondly. "I know that smile. What can I do for you?"

The cute smile dissolved into a more believable pout. "That's an unfair assumption…"

"…fair enough. So what brought you to my office so late?"

Milly grinned. "I need a favour." Her grandfather laughed.

"You keep me young, child." He waved her towards a chair. "What is it?"

"Lelouch and Nunnally… well, mostly Lelouch, but actually, mostly Nunnally…" Milly sighed. "The… unfortunate incident at the chapel."

"Ah, yes… Is young Lelouch still being inconvenienced?" The question held a wealth of hidden implications.

Milly shook her head. "Sort of. But mostly, it's Nunnally. They interviewed her without Lelouch present. Sayako was there, of course, but she's an Eleven and a maid on top of that. She doesn't really have any more power in that situation than Nunnally. Lelouch is petitioning for your protection from the ABI."

"For him and Nunnally, or just Nunnally?" For all of his kindness and for all that he genuinely cared about Lelouch and Nunnally, Lord Ashford was still a political creature, and knew the trap of doing more than was asked.

Milly bit her lower lip. She regretted dragging the whole Student Council with her, since that meant that Lelouch hadn't been able to talk freely. Still, although trained to think politically, Milly was first and foremost a friend. "Both."

"It will be done."

"Aaaaaactually." Milly passed her grandfather a file of papers. "If you'll just sign these, I'll make sure the ABI gets them by tomorrow morning."

Lord Ashford read them over and allowed a smile to spread over his face. "Nicely done." He signed them. "We'll make a proper lady of you yet."

"Oh, psht." Milly waved her hand. "Drafting a letter like this just means I'd make a good secretary."

"Nonsense," Her grandfather argued. "Your wording was diplomatic but firm. It's as strong as a request from someone completely unassociated with the ABI could be, but not demanding or entitled. It will probably work.

Milly preened under the praise. "Does this mean no marriage interviews?"

"Certainly. After all, Lord Asplund has already made his interest clear."

…that crazy scientist. Milly shuddered. Well, at least he was nice and relatively young. "That… that's great."

"I'm glad. I'd hate to see you forced into an arrangement against your will." Milly's grandfather looked sharply at her.

"…me too." Milly sighed.


	3. More Questions than Answers

"Van Pelt, I could really use some good news right now."

"Sorry, boss." Van Pelt at least had the decency to look regretful. "Nothing new yet."

Jane wasn't as decent. "What's up? You have the 'I just got bad news' face on."

Lisbon shot him a glare – less effective than usual due to her mood. "I just got bad news. Lord Ashford is apparently very interested in the lives of the war orphans he collects. We've been asked to handle the Lamperouge kids with 'delicacy'." Jane whistled. Lisbon rolled her eyes. "That means _you_, Jane. Back off. Of _both_ siblings."

Jane looked like she'd just stolen his puppy. And then kicked it. "But Lelouch is still a suspect, isn't he?"

"Perhaps, but this is still Britannia. There are two sets of laws, and the Ashfords are firmly planted on the 'nobility' side, no matter what disgrace they may have suffered," Lisbon declared. "The Lamperouge siblings are off limits unless Cho or I are with you. Understood?"

"Perfectly. You don't have to yell." Jane paused for a moment, trying to act innocent and trustworthy before giving it up as a lost cause. "I'm going to take a walk then. You have my cell number."

Lisbon probably knew he was headed for Ashford, but she didn't stop him. That was practically like giving him permission.

It didn't take long to find Lelouch. Apparently he was a minor celebrity around here – most of the girls Jane asked giggled shyly before answering. All of them knew exactly where his most likely hiding places were. He managed to corner Lelouch before school started.

Lelouch hadn't really been in a hurry to get to class in any case. "You're interrupting my education, Mr. Jane."

"Sorry about that, Mr. Lamperouge." Jane didn't sound sorry. "I just had something I wanted to tell you."

"Oh?" Lelouch shot him a sneer. Before Jane could respond to that, a cheerfully grinning boy with a wrench came up to them.

"Is this guy bothering you, Lelouch?" The wrench shifted in his hands and it was suddenly a subtle threat. Jane wasn't overly intimidated.

"We were just having a conversation, Mr…"

Lelouch turned his back on Jane, facing the boy. "Rivalz, this is Mr. Jane. He's one of the men who… _talked_ with Nunnally yesterday."

That wrench was looking more and more threatening. "Oh. _Really…_"

Jane raised his hands. "There seems to be something of a misunderstanding here…"

"Nonsense." A buxom blond came up behind Lelouch, threading her arm through his. "Lelouch might misunderstand a lot of things. Like _meeting times_, for instance, but he's always spot on with Nunnally."

"You don't belong here," an equally endowed red-head added quietly. Somehow, her gentle voice and cow-like eyes hid a threat more potent than the wrench.

Jane turned his attention back to Lelouch. "Afraid of facing me alone?"

"I don't expect you to understand, Mr. Jane, but these people are acting on their own." He drew himself up. "As my _friends_."

And just like that the entire tone changed. These kids were no longer posturing; there was suddenly the potential for true confrontation. Just from a few words in a warm tone from this boy. Jane felt… exhilarated.

"Fine, fine. I get it." He smiled. "I was just coming to tell you that we've been asked to back off. Unless there's a sudden revelation, we're not to bother you or your sister."

Lelouch visibly relaxed. Jane pressed, hoping to create an opening. "Even though I'm _dying_ to know what you're hiding."

"I'm not hiding anything, Mr. Jane," Lelouch answered easily. "As for the murder… isn't it statistically likely that it was his lover? Shouldn't you be looking for her?" He pursed his lips. "Or him."

Jane shrugged. "Were you involved with him?"

Rivalz snorted.

Lelouch smiled. "No. And weren't you supposed to back off?"

Jane leaned forward. "But I _so_ enjoy our conversations. You've got to slip up eventually."

Lelouch's eyes flared. "As I said, there's nothing I'm hiding."

"Everyone hides something. You're just afraid I'll find out your little secret."

Lelouch pulled away from Milly. "I'm not afraid of you. You can ask any questions you like, as long as you leave Nunnally out of it."

Well. He'd fallen into that trap almost disappointingly easily. Manipulative genius aside, Lelouch was still clearly a kid. Jane took the opportunity. "Okay, then. For starters, how do you know Suzaku Kururugi?"

"We were childhood friends," Lelouch answered easily.

"C'mon I need more detail than _that_." Jane grinned. "When did you meet?"

Lelouch didn't answer, simply raising an eyebrow in placid silence. Jane read the mood and didn't wait long before following up his question. "Lelouch, you said I could ask about anything other than Nunnally."

"I didn't say I would answer," Lelouch said, trying for the same tone of voice C.C. has used when she'd said those words to him.

Jane burst into a wide smile. "Brilliant. This is going to be _so much fun_."

The school bell rang. Milly tugged on Lelouch's arm. "Class time, Lulu."

Jane didn't bother hiding his snicker. "Is that your nickname? 'Lulu'?"

Lelouch smiled at him over his shoulder as he followed Milly to the school. "Again, Mr. Jane, you can ask your questions, but I'm not obligated to answer."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku's morning wasn't so pleasant. The morning test run was scheduled for 0800, an hour later than usual, but he was still late, having had the worst night's sleep of his life.

Surprisingly enough, when he did sleep, he managed to get away without nightmares by simply being tired enough to sleep dreamlessly. That only accounted for three hours, however. The remaining time, he stared up at his ceiling, thoughts running through his head.

There was a common theme – reliving the night he'd stabbed his father; Kirihara glowering down at him, informing him that his father had committed _seppuku_; telling Lelouch and Nunnally that they had to leave _now_; Lelouch's fury at Britannia for destroying their lives together and his vow to destroy his native country.

…which would mean going up against his own father. Suzaku didn't want his friend to follow his path towards patricide, but Lelouch had seemed so vehement back then.

At least he seemed to have found some measure of peace at Ashford.

Thoughts of Lelouch flitted through Suzaku's mind. He knew. He _knew_ and he had still stood by Suzaku. He knew and still reached out, still touched Suzaku, despite the fact that Suzaku was tainted, stained with the inhuman crime of killing his own father.

But what did he really think?

Lelouch had allowed Suzaku to talk with Nunnally, which was a good sign – if anything would break up their friendship, Nunnally's safety would be it. But would he still let Suzaku come over and visit? Would he leave a murderer alone with his sister? Would he keep his word – that nothing would change between them?

Part of Suzaku was angry at himself for even asking. Lelouch had never lied or broken a promise to him before, so why would he start now? But the larger part of Suzaku, the part invested in hating himself and punishing himself for his transgression against one of the greatest taboos ever, was certain that once Lelouch had some time to think about it, he'd be as disgusted with Suzaku as Suzaku was with himself.

It was past three am before Suzaku fell asleep, his stomach still churning at these thoughts. Oddly enough, the fact that he was being investigated for murder never entered his mind at all.

Until he arrived at the hanger, to find Agent Cho and one of the other men waiting for him.

Lloyd looked _pissed_ in a fairly benign way. Cecile looked frantic.

"Oh, Suzaku. Are you…"

"You're late." Lloyd's irritation showed in the sullen sentence. "Not that it matters. The test's been pushed back until nine. Until then, you can accompany these men."

Suzaku had never been late before. He wasn't even sure what the protocol was. He played it safe, bowing lowly. "I apologize for being late."

"That's okay," Cecile interjected, subtly elbowing Lloyd. "The Lancelot will wait. You might have to stay a few hours later, though. It doesn't look like you can get to school today, but you'll have tomorrow off."

Lloyd's scowl deepened. "Hopefully this fiasco will be over by then."

Ah. Lloyd wasn't upset at him; he was upset at the ABI. Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief.

"Warrant Officer Kururugi, if you'll come with me and Agent Rigsby?" Agent Cho inclined his head towards one of the private rooms.

Suzaku took a seat on one side of the table and Cho sat across from him. The though crossed Suzaku's mind that Lelouch might very well have had a point – they sent their 'Asian' to confront the 'Eleven'. He shook his head; such thoughts were counterproductive.

Rigsby handed Cho a file and Cho tossed it on the table between them and Suzaku. Suzaku waited patiently.

"What do you think of your father?"

Suzaku had a mild panic attack.

After the moment of silence stretched past what Rigsby and Cho felt was appropriate, Rigsby leaned on the table, using his significantly larger size as intimidation. Suzaku barely noticed.

Cho leaned forward slightly. "Let me rephrase: What _did_ you think of your father?"

It had been over a minute since Suzaku had taken a breath. He felt his vision going grey.

Rigsby shot Cho a worried look. Cho's eyes never left Suzaku's face. The teenager's eyes were wide, his face was pale… his lips were even turning blueish. He was as terrified as any naïve idiot Cho had interviewed who'd committed a crime out of stupidity and carelessness rather than evil.

Odd that they weren't even _talking _about the crime.

Finally Suzaku gasped in a breath. It sounded more like a sob, but there were no tears and that was the only one. He even managed to speak, even though his voice was disturbingly quiet.

"What about him?"

Cho continued as though the short break down hadn't happened. "His politics were pretty much the opposite of yours."

"Yeah."

"And you fight in the very army he swore to defend against to the last person alive in Japan."

"Yeah."

"And he's a winter, where you're clearly an autumn."

"Yea-what?"

Cho didn't crack a smile. "Just checking to see if you were paying attention."

Suzaku managed a small smile. "Sorry. I'm paying attention. I just… we didn't agree on much. After he… after his death, I didn't really have anywhere else to go so…"

"Not so." Cho opened the file and took out a small list. "The Sumerugi family was willing to take you in. As was Kirihara. What I don't understand is why you didn't go there, with people who worked with your father, who understood you. With _family_."

"Sometimes…" Suzaku shook his head. "Sometimes family isn't the best place." He'd stayed briefly with the Sumerugis until the guilt of what he'd done drove him out.

"Plus you had Lelouch and Nunnally to worry about."

Suzaku caught himself before nodding. "What?"

Cho leaned forward. "You were childhood friends. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that was _before_ you joined the army." Honestly, that wasn't necessarily true, Suzaku had joined up young enough to still consider himself a child, but it was likely.

Suzaku hesitated a moment, then nodded. "But they had people to go to as well. I didn't have to worry about them."

"The Ashfords."

"Yeah. Lelouch promised me they'd be safe. And they were." Suzaku's smile became genuine.

Cho relaxed. "You care a great deal for them."

"Of course."

"Would you kill for them?"

Blunt questions weren't new to Suzaku. He'd been raised in a culture that danced around issues and took politeness to extremes, but he'd been intimately involved in the army of a culture where 'nice hair; can I touch it?' wasn't considered rude. "I would."

Rigsby raised at eyebrow at the firm answer. "Seriously?"

"Of course," Suzaku answered, the same way he'd answered if he cared for them.

Cho paused in thought. "Why did you join the Britannian army?"

That was more what Suzaku had been expecting. "I wanted to keep the peace that so many people have died for."

"…noble."

"Not really," Suzaku argued. "My father wanted every last Japanese to lay down his or her life for the country. As if ownership of the _land_ was worth more than the _people_. I… honestly, I'm sick to death of the discrimination and cruelty, but I believe that with enough time, things can change. I want to give it a chance."

"That doesn't make it any less noble." Cho closed the file and leaned back. "Suzaku. Did you kill Mao?"

"No."

"He kidnapped your friend and threatened your other friend and yourself. He was armed, you weren't. You've been trained to kill threats. You've just admitted you _would_ kill any threats to your friends. There's nothing ignoble about putting down a dangerous animal."

"Mao… Mao wasn't an animal," Suzaku said slowly. "Animals act without cruelty, without _spite_. All Mao was, was spite. He was _definitely_ a human being." He looked Cho in the eye. "And I didn't kill him. And neither did Lelouch, although we both would have, given the opportunity."

Cho looked at him for a long moment. Then he sighed. "I gave you the chance. Just remember that, Suzaku." He picked up the file and left the room. Rigsby followed after. Suzaku stayed seated. That was it?

He stayed in the room for a few more minutes, decompressing. They weren't going to take him away, arrest him. He was _certain_ when he'd first seen them that they would; evidence or no evidence, an Eleven behind bars would look better than no one. But they hadn't. That meant…

Only the thought that Lelouch was as innocent as he was stopped Suzaku from running out of the room and to Ashford to warn him. If they felt comfortable coming to talk with Suzaku at a military base, surely they wouldn't hesitate to go to the Academy. Lelouch had briefly told Suzaku what had happened with Nunnally yesterday, and Suzaku felt horrible that he wasn't there to protect them.

But they didn't need his protection. They were, as far as anyone knew, normal Britannian citizens, and no proof could possibly turn up pointing to Lelouch since he hadn't done anything. They'd be fine.

If Suzaku kept repeating that, he might even come to believe it eventually.

Cecile poked her head into the room. "Suzaku, Lloyd has requested" _bullied_ "that Lancelot be cleared a little early. You're up."

Suzaku perked up. This was what he needed. A distraction, something he was good at, something only he could do. "Coming, Cecile-san."

He settled into the Lancelot's cockpit, feeling at home and comfortable for the first time since… since Mao. The hum and thrill as Lancelot warmed up rushed through Suzaku's body, clearing out all his worries and problems. He felt, as always, like he _belonged_ here. The order to launch came and Suzaku answered it eagerly, ready to put in the solid hours of work that testing the prototypic Knightmare required.

He failed.

The numbers were still better than anyone else had managed to wring out of the Lancelot, but they were so below his averages that Suzaku could barely believe it.

Lloyd was livid. "83%? You're not _blind_. You're not _crippled_. You're not _drugged up_… are you?" A suspicious peer and Lloyd continued ranting when Suzaku shook his head vehemently. "Then _what_ could _possibly _explain these numbers?"

The last time Suzaku had been scolded like this, it was for nothing he'd done wrong, by an irate drill Sergeant irritated by the perfect little Eleven. He'd withstood that lecture stoically, even after the Sergeant's spittle started hitting him in the face.

Lloyd's disappointment stung far worse.

Cecile hung back, looking like she'd be wringing her hands if she had less restraint. Still, she didn't speak up. She probably agreed with Lloyd.

The entire morning had been wasted. The afternoon had been planned to work from the morning's results, so it would likely be a waste as well. Suzaku imagined he could even feel the Lancelot's disgust directed at him.

Lloyd flailed and stomped off for lunch, only slightly more masculine that Lelouch's usual temper tantrums, without even waiting for Suzaku to answer, not that he could. Cecile looked like she wanted to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. She was just as highly invested in the Lancelot as Lloyd was, and Suzaku realized he'd let her down too and she wasn't even able to voice her anger.

In the end, she just followed Lloyd, leaving Suzaku alone.

Normally they'd go over the data while Suzaku tried to figure out what they were talking about and they shared what ever odd concoction Cecile had cooked up. But with data like this… taking a lunch break away from the laboratory was probably the best idea.

He headed for the mess with a heavy heart and no appetite. As he passed Cecile's office, he overheard a spirited discussion that was barely a few steps away from an argument.

"…at least if they arrested him, we could look for another devicer!"

"That's horrible! Suzaku hasn't done anything. And he needs our support."

"Our support? I'll give him my support, all right. Cecile, draft a letter to the ABI _forbidding _contact with my Lancelot's devicer." There was an awkward pause. "Post-haste!"

"…are you sure you want to do that? If we push them, they might really arrest Suzaku."

Lloyd snorted. "Another morning with results like these and I'll arrest him myself! This is an unforgivable transgression against the pursuit of _science_!"

"Is this about the new pistons?"

"We'll never know if they work better or worse than the old ones because the _devicer_ is flawed." Lloyd sounded like he was in actual physical pain.

"Yes, but is this _actually_ about the pistons, or are you just angry that they bullied Suzaku?"

There was a pregnant moment of silence, before Lloyd answered in a pouting tone of voice. "It's the pistons." He'd never sounded less convincing.

Suzaku felt a hundred times better, even though he still felt horrible about his performance that morning. He didn't deserve people like Lelouch, Cecile, Lloyd… people who cared about him. He was determined to make this afternoon's performance make up for the morning's.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Jane strolled into the office. He'd gotten his favourite suspect… er, _witness_ back from the evil protective bureaucracy and had time to grab a quick lunch from one of his favourite sushi stands. He didn't care much for the raw fish, but the cucumber and avocado rolls were to die for.

The office was deserted. Only Van Pelt was there, diligently working away at her computer.

…if by 'diligently working away', you meant 'surfing news articles'. Jane leaned over her shoulder. "Working hard or hardly working?"

Van Pelt, to her credit, didn't jump up guiltily. "I'm on hold with an agent of the Schengen Information System from the EU. They've promised to forward any information they have on anyone matching Mao's description."

Well. That was progress. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Over half an hour. If this follows pattern, someone will pick up in a few minutes to transfer me to another section." Van Pelt sounded resigned rather than upset. Jane admired that about her.

He pulled up a chair, peeking at her computer screen. "In that case, what's new?"

"Nothing much. One of the papers is running a special on 'Zero and the Black Knights', but it's the usual pro-Britannian propaganda mixed in with a smattering of 'honourable savage' since he saved the hotel hostages. And the stock market's taken an up swing since the Black Knights have been lying low for the past few days."

"That's good," Jane mumbled, only half paying attention. He pointed out one of the pictures on the screen. "That's when he rescued Kururugi, isn't it?"

"The military still claims it was an 'abduction' not a 'rescue', but yeah." Van Pelt clicked on the photo to enlarge it.

Jane pursed his lips. "They might have a point. Kururugi doesn't look happy about the rescue." As much as he hated to admit it, maybe his attention had been focused on the wrong boy. Lelouch was intriguing, but Suzaku had slipped under his radar with his very convincing 'traumatized victim' act. It hadn't seemed like an act at all, in fact… "I can see why Zero did it – saving an Eleven from the Britannians fits exactly the message he was trying to send. But Kururugi… even if it was your worst enemy saving you from almost certain death, you'd think there'd be _some_ gratitude. Or at least relief. Kururugi looks like he'd fight his way out if he could figure out a way."

"This was Zero's first appearance. You think there was some history between the two before the rescue? Some enmity?" Van Pelt wasn't following his line of thought, but her idea was worth exploring too.

"It's worth looking into, isn't it?" Jane said. "Where else has Zero showed up when Kururugi's been involved too?"

"The hotel incident," Van Pelt answered immediately. "They were both trying to get the hostages free, but Zero moved first."

"Point Zer,." Jane mused. "A tie, since Kururugi returning to the tribunal was his victory. And wasn't Kururugi at Narita?"

Van Pelt pursed her lips. "I think so, but not until after? I can check into that if you want."

"Sure." Jane gave her a sympathetic grin. "It'll give you something to do while the paper-pushers jerk your chain."

Van Pelt rolled her eyes. "_Bureaucrats_."

Jane's grin was cut off as Lisbon stormed into the room. "Jane. Define 'back off' for me."

Well. There went Jane's good mood from the morning. "Look, I just went to inform Lelouch personally that we would leave him alone and he _volunteered_ to continue acting to further the investigation. Of his own free will. Honestly."

"Jane, how many times and in how many ways do I have to explain to you that 'of his own free will' is _not_ synonymous with 'because I manipulated him'?" Lisbon demanded.

That was unfair! "There was hardly any manipulation involved at all!" Jane objected. "…unfortunately." Lelouch had disappointed him.

"Did you just say 'unfortunately'?"

Time to back-track. "Yeah, but that's not what's important now." He gestured at Van Pelt's screen. Unfortunately it was now full of official-business-looking charts and spreadsheets. He proceeded without the visual aid. "Our Eleven suspect has an interesting habit of running into the local terrorist menace. On a personal level."

"Do you seriously think you can distract me with this?"

"_And_ he has familial ties with the Sumeragis. Even if Kururugi isn't our killer, he could possibly lead us to even bigger fish."

Lisbon looked interested despite herself. "You want to go after Zero? Jane, we're not the anti-terrorist unit. We have a dead body, and we're supposed to look into it. Now, if you'd like to return to your _job…_"

"The nobles are refusing to let me!" Jane threw up his arms in well-orchestrated disgust. "At least if we go after Zero, we'll get something useful out of it."

"No." Lisbon said firmly. "No, no and, just in case you missed it, _no_. Rigsby and Cho should be back from interviewing Kururugi soon and Van Pelt will continue to try to get other countries to communicate with us, and you will _do your job_."

Jane pouted. "Fine. But you're no fun. Also, I think Zero groped Kururugi when he 'rescued' him. _If_ you know what I mean. "

Lisbon's mouth opened but nothing came out. She finally snapped it shut and huffed off. Jane watched her go. She didn't usually 'huff'. Perhaps it was in response to his 'pout'. Or his comment. Interesting.

Either way, she'd completely forgotten about his visit with Lelouch.

Van Pelt shifted uncomfortably as her boss left in a rotten mood. "I can still do that search for you."

Jane was pleasantly surprised. Lisbon had all but forbidden it. "…thanks."

Van Pelt shrugged. "It's not like I have anything else useful to do."

Again, her lack of frustrated rage was admirable.


	4. Take a Step Back

The house was empty when Lelouch got back from school. After a moment of panic, he found a note on the kitchen table:

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

_Lelouch Lamperouge._

_We've kidnapped Nunnally._

_Just kidding! Shirley and I are taking her shopping to get her mind off everything. You can call my cell phone (or Shirley's _:p_) if you have any questions. Otherwise, try to relax a bit. You've been tense – everyone's noticed. Even Rivalz._

_Oh, I talked to my grandfather again. After you _blew it_ this morning with the ABI guy, he's washed his hands of you. You're on your own, Lulu, so don't get in trouble. We still have your back, but 'Lord Ashford' isn't going up to bat for you a second time after you were so easily baited into throwing away his protection. Way to go. (__-sarcasm)_

_Ah, Shirley says I have to finish up, Nunnally's almost ready to go._

_So! We'll be back later (probably after supper) with a whole new wardrobe for Nunnally and possibly a make-over. Look forward to it!_

_Nunnally says she loves you and Shirley says… to tell you 'hi'. (__what's going on between you guys?__)_

_Lots of platonic! love_

_~Milly Ashford~_

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The note was crumpled somewhat and the bracketed section before the signature was scribbled messily and crossed out vehemently. Lelouch was glad to see that Shirley was apparently exactly the same excitable girl, only without her memories of him. Apparently he hadn't been that important to her anyway.

He checked the clock. He had a few hours before they'd come home and Sayoko wasn't home either. Perfect.

Lelouch went up to his room and turned on his computer, checking on the recent news. There wasn't much happening other than the usual scandals and petty crimes. Since the hotel incident, he had kept the Black Knights busy and visible, making sure that they didn't fade into obscurity. The other terrorist groups had initially increased their activity as well, but Lelouch had managed to keep the Black Knights at the forefront of media attention.

They'd slowed down after the battle at the pier when Shirley had found out he was Zero. He hadn't really meant to, but he had been distracted by Mao trying to get Shirley to kill him and then trying to take C.C. away. And by the time that was all dealt with, he still had to contend with the suspicions that his men held about the death of General Katase. True, Lelouch had orchestrated it as a distraction to improve his odds of getting to Cornelia, but did that mean they had to be so untrusting?

And then Mao had come back and kidnapped Nunnally. At least the bastard was dead now. And, after the investigation was done, Lelouch could go back to focusing on Zero and the Black Knights.

And no time to start like the present. The media reports seemed empty, the reporters and viewers waiting for the Black Knights and their next controversial actions. Lelouch wanted to do something big, something significant after such a long lull. Apart from a few minor drug busts (_Refrain_ and opiates, mostly) the Black Knights had been pretty inactive while Lelouch's personal life had been anything but.

Which didn't stop Lelouch from keeping his thumb in numerous pies. There was still no word about Toudou's location, or the rest of the Japanese Liberation Front, but they were still being hunted by Britannia, and it would only be a matter of time until they either sought refuge in an area friendly to the Black Knights or were captured. Lelouch could wait for that. Until then, he needed to keep his people happy.

Kallen was looking distracted at school lately. That wasn't a good sign.

Lelouch called up Ougi's number. Three rings and the man picked up.

"Ougi here."

"Ougi. This is Zero."

"Zero!" Lelouch could practically hear Ougi sitting up straighter. "Where are… how… we haven't heard from you in days."

Lelouch sighed. "I'm aware. I am currently investigating a situation that might prove either beneficial or detrimental." That was vague enough. "What's the situation there?"

Ougi hesitated. "Um… it's not bad. That new guy, Diethard, even though he's a Britannian, he's fitting in pretty well. Tamaki gave him a rough time at first, but they're getting along pretty well."

It figured that Zero would ask for a status report and Ougi would give him a rambling explanation about interpersonal relationships. "That's good. Should a situation arise, how quickly could we mobilize?" Clearly, Lelouch had to be more precise.

"Under an hour. The Knightmares are on constant stand-by and we always have at least fifteen pilots and two engineering teams on duty at a time." Zero had been the one to organize the shifts like that. His questioning it made Ougi nervous. "Do you think they'll be needed?"

"Probably not," Lelouch answered. "Has there been any word about the location of Toudou or his men?"

"None," Ougi answered. "He's still alive, though, or Britannia would be announcing his death all over the news."

Well. Obviously. "I plan to hold back our activities until he is found. If he needs our assistance, I want to be ready to offer as much as possible."

"…Zero!" Ougi sounded impressed. Lelouch tried not to preen. "That's… do you think he'd join us?"

"That is my hope," Lelouch answered gravely. "His reputation and skills would be of great value."

There was an awkward silence on the other end. "…um… what if he didn't want to serve under you? Would you give up command to him?"

Never. "Toudou has the reputation of being a reasonable man. As long as I can continue to work towards the freedom of Japan and the safety of as many Black Knights as possible, I don't care about titles." Just as long as he was still in charge.

"Oh. That's good." Ougi sighed, glad that Zero hadn't taken offence. "It's just he's from the army, and I don't know if he'd take well to… uh, you know…" _Taking orders from a bumped up terrorist._

Lelouch did know. He just didn't care. "Never mind that. How is morale?"

"It's fine. It would be better if you could visit more…" Ougi thought about Kallen's occasional bouts of sulkiness. "…but I understand if you can't. I'll let everyone know you're busy and we're not to do anything big until Toudou's located."

"Thank you." Lelouch sighed. He'd like to go back too. Student life was stifling, even with bating the ABI agents. "I'll try to be back as soon as possible. Until then, try to keep everything under control."

"Will do," Ougi answered. Lelouch hung up.

He briefly contemplated calling Diethard up directly. He… didn't quite trust the man yet, but there was something there that Lelouch liked. Reliability? He'd come through for them twice in a big way – informing them about Narita and the pier incidents. Both could have gone better, but that wasn't his fault. There was something in the way he looked at Zero, something eager and almost hungry. Lelouch liked it. It wasn't quite worship, but it was something close enough.

But contacting him personally wasn't really appropriate. Zero generally kept in touch through Ougi, maintaining the impression that Ougi was still important. He rarely even called Kallen. Lelouch idly played with his cell phone, considering his options, when the doorbell rang.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

After the marginally better afternoon, which mollified Lloyd considerably, Suzaku found himself free a few hours early when Lloyd kicked him out to make some adjustments to the Lancelot. Apparently continuing to run tests when they'd already found flaws would have been pointless.

It was still too late to even make it to Suzaku's last class, so he changed into civilian clothing, then changed his mind and changed into his Ashford Uniform so that he wouldn't be stopped for being an Eleven in a nice area of town, and headed out.

He wondered, a few times on the way, if Lelouch would mind him dropping in. He'd never had a problem with it before, but that was… before.

Eventually, Suzaku called himself a coward a few times and gave himself enough of a pep talk so that he could make it up to Lelouch's front steps and ring the doorbell.

And then the anxiety welled up from his stomach, threatening to overwhelm him.

He was just about to bolt when the door opened, revealing Lelouch in his own uniform, rather than Sayoko as Suzaku had been expecting.

"…Lelouch?"

"Yes?" Lelouch looked at him a little oddly. "I live here, you know."

…that _had_ been a stupid reaction. "Yeah, I know I just…" Suzaku scratched his neck in embarrassment and laughed a little.

Lelouch opened the door wider. "Come in. Have you eaten yet?"

"No," Suzaku answered, entering and removing his shoes. "But that's not… I didn't just come for…"

Lelouch rolled his eyes and pushed Suzaku gently to the couch, leaning down slightly over him as Suzaku sat with a soft 'whump'. "Sit down, take a few deep breaths and I'll be back." He straightened up and turned towards the kitchen. "Nunnally and Sayoko-san are out, so it's just the two of us. I can make something later."

Suzaku's heart was still racing with nervousness. Lelouch didn't seem upset to see him. He didn't seem particularly thrilled, either, but…

…maybe he was reading too much into this.

Lelouch came back a few minutes later with tea and some cookies. Suzaku's stomach rumbled on cue and Suzaku chuckled at Lelouch's raised eyebrow. This was more normal.

After setting the food down, Lelouch sat next to Suzaku and started pouring the tea. "Do you want to talk about it, or do you want to avoid it?"

"…avoid what?"

"Whatever's obviously bothering you." Lelouch handed Suzaku his teacup. "It's up to you, I'm fine either way."

Suzaku took a sip and tried not to grimace. He'd never gotten used to Earl Grey. "I just… it's weird that that Mao guy was killed basically in front of us and we have no idea who did it."

Lelouch thought back to that day, watching C.C. press the gun to Mao's neck with an expression that looked as close to grieving as he'd ever seen. "He was shot outside, we were inside." He shook his head. "I could have gone out to check, but I chose not to. It's my fault, really."

"No!" Suzaku objected. "It's mine. You didn't leave because I was… I…" His hands shook and he quickly placed his cup on the table. "Lelouch…"

Lelouch watched Suzaku for a moment. "Suzaku. Have you mourned?"

"Mourned what?" Suzaku asked miserably.

"Your father's death," Lelouch answered coolly. "Just because you killed him doesn't mean that you can't mourn his passing. We… you had to get me and Nunnally out right after his death, so you didn't have any time then. But after… have you _ever_ taken the time to mourn?"

Suzaku stared at the table. "Did you?"

"What?" Lelouch frowned.

"You… when you came with Nunnally, you were so focused on protecting her, on keeping her safe and happy. And you were angry, but… Lelouch, your mom died and you _loved _her. But did you ever have the chance to properly mourn?"

Lelouch opened and closed his mouth a few times before setting it in a determined line. "When I find out who killed her and why. _Then_ I'll have the right to mourn."

"Mmm…" Suzaku leaned his head against Lelouch's shoulder. "It's not my place to mourn the man I killed. Even if he was my father."

Lelouch couldn't really argue with that. He remembered how out of place he felt at Shirley's father's funeral; not because of the awkwardness of his relationship with Shirley, but because the man was dead because of him. It had felt almost sacrilegious. Lelouch carded his fingers through Suzaku's hair. "I don't remember much of Genbu Kururugi. He was cold to us, not unkind, but uncaring in the literal sense. If we'd caught pneumonia and died, it wouldn't have mattered to him. But he wouldn't have hurt us, I don't think."

"Lelouch, I don't…"

"He didn't show much emotion at all. Not pleasure or anger or anything. Only pride. Pride in his accomplishments, in his position. And, sometimes, in his son."

Suzaku closed his eyes tightly. "Lelouch, please…"

"It wasn't often. Usually when you'd mastered something Toudou was teaching you. And he _never_ showed it to your face. It must have been odd, being raised by such a cold man. At lease my father had the decency to have us raised by other people."

Suzaku gave up. "It was. He wasn't demanding, exactly, but nothing was ever enough. And he was always so… _firm. _So sure that he was right and everyone else was wrong. I… Lelouch, I never hated him. I _never _wanted to kill him. But… but I don't regret it either."

Lelouch nodded, not surprised to feel a slight dampness on Suzaku's cheek as he curled into him, hiding his face in Lelouch's neck. "Of course you didn't hate him." Not like how Lelouch hated his father.

"I still don't regret it." Suzaku's voice was muffled against Lelouch's shoulder. "Doesn't that make me a bad person? Why don't you hate me?"

And that was the core of it. Lelouch was honestly surprised Suzaku was being this honest. It spoke to how deeply this was affecting him, how much he feared this truth. "You did what you did. Regret changes nothing." Clovis's face shot through Lelouch's mind. "Who you are hasn't changed. I didn't hate you before. How could I hate you now?" He pulled Suzaku closer, holding him like he'd held Nunnally during her nightmares. "How could I _ever_ hate you?"

Suzaku shifted until he was almost on Lelouch's lap, burying his face in the crook of Lelouch's neck and lightly clenching Lelouch's shirt. His unsteady breaths tickled Lelouch's neck as he tried to keep himself from breaking down. "Thank you." The words were mumbled and muffled against Lelouch's skin.

The position was more comfortable for Lelouch, enough that he was able to keep one arm around Suzaku and let the other move back to Suzaku's hair. This felt so similar to comforting Nunnally, and so different at the same time. For one thing, Suzaku was _much _heavier.

For another, when he regained control, he pulled back instead of curling up closer. Lelouch let him go.

"S…sorry." Suzaku turned away, his eyes red from crying, his face red from embarrassment. "I didn't mean to…"

"Oh hush," Lelouch said, exasperated. "You needed to get this out of your system, that's all. It's not like I didn't trigger it on purpose."

Suzaku stopped rubbing at his eyes and shot Lelouch a look. "Hey, that's right. You _did_."

_Uhoh_. "It was necessary, Suzaku." Lelouch held up his hands in a calming gesture. "You'll feel better for it and I-_ack_!"

Lelouch had never learned not to fight back when Suzaku attacked. Even though it was patently futile, he kicked out as Suzaku pinned him down, grabbing his hands and holding them over his head. "Suzaku, let me go _immediately_!"

"In a sec," Suzaku said almost cheerfully, clearly misinterpreting Lelouch's impotent 'immediately'. Lelouch's leg hit him in the side and Suzaku shifted so that Lelouch's legs were pinned as well. Lelouch's eyes flashed. Suzaku's danced, as he reached up with his free hand and ruffled Lelouch's hair.

Lelouch finally gave up, letting his body relax. Suzaku's amusement turned to fondness as he looked down at his friend. "Lelouch, thanks. Really."

"You have an odd way of showing your gratitude," Lelouch shot back, but his lips twitched.

"Mmm," Suzaku agreed with a warm smile. It was the first genuine smile Lelouch had seen since the Mao incident. Then, as ordained by the laws of comedic timing, and also due to the fact that it was just before supper, Suzaku's stomach growled again, breaking the mood.

Which was unfortunate. It had been a nice mood.

Lelouch pushed Suzaku off and stood up. "Well, what do you want for supper then?"

"Anything," Suzaku answered easily. "Hey, can I help?"

The look of horror that crossed Lelouch's face was almost comical, except that it was completely genuine. "No! I mean… no, it's okay. You've had a long day." He hurried off to the kitchen.

Suzaku would have pouted, but he felt too good at the moment.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku was clearing the table (he insisted) when Milly and Shirley returned Nunnally.

Lelouch took a moment to thank a deity he didn't particularly believe in that they hadn't mutilated her with a make-over.

"Lulu, did you get our note?" Milly asked.

Lelouch scowled. "Did you seriously think that joke was in good taste, President?"

"Oh, lighten up." Milly brushed past him. "You're just sore because we stole Nunnally and had a wonderful time while you were stuck here twiddling your thumbs by yoursel-Suzaku?"

Suzaku grinned and waved from where he was rinsing the dishes. "Hey, President, Shirley. Welcome home, Nunnally."

"Thank you, Suzaku-san," Nunnally called from the doorway. Lelouch hurried to help her in. There were five bags hanging from the handles of her wheelchair.

"Are these all yours?" Lelouch asked curiously. He hoped they were acceptable. Knowing Milly's sense of humour…

Oh well. At least Shirley had been with them as the sighted voice of reason.

Nunnally shook her head. "Just three. There was more shopping than buying."

"Oh." Lelouch was secretly disappointed. Nunnally needed to feel free to have more things. If they were back at the Aries Villa, she would have closets full of dresses that would change every year with the style. Also, when she had new clothes, she would often model them for him and Sayoko – always an adorable afternoon. "Which ones?"

Shirley picked out two of the bags and handed him a box. "These are Nunnally's. The rest are mine and the President's." She smiled. "Well, mostly the President's to be honest."

"Why am I not surprised," Lelouch groused. "Thanks, Shirley."

"No problem, Lelouch," Shirley chirped. "Hanging around with Nunnally is always fun. And supper was good too."

Lelouch smiled back, politely. "Oh? What did you have?"

"Pizza." Shirley grinned. "I'm not supposed to, because of the swim meet, but it's just this once."

Nunnally giggled. "We had to promise not to tell."

Milly watched them from the other room. It seemed that Lelouch and Shirley were at least _pretending_ to not be fighting, even though they were still playing at being strangers. Was it for Nunnally's sake? "What did you two have?" She asked as Suzaku came out of the kitchen.

"Chicken parmesan on spaghettini with greek salad." Suzaku answered. "I don't think I'll be able to eat the mess food for days."

Milly chuckled. "He spoils you. Honestly, the girl who lands Lelouch is a _very_ lucky girl."

Suzaku made a general sound of agreement when Lelouch turned to shoot them an irritated glare. "What's that supposed to mean, President?"

"Just what I said," Milly retorted airily. "You're quite the catch, Lulu."

Nunnally took her brother's hand in her own. "It's nice, isn't it? Such a compliment. But I'll be sad to lose you…"

Lelouch squeezed Nunnally's hand and smiled gently. "It won't happen." If she lost him, it would be to the fight against Britannia, and she'd have Suzaku to take care of her.

Milly coughed something that sounded like 'sis-con' and pulled Suzaku into the living room. "It's your lucky day, Suzaku! You and Lelouch get the exclusive first view of these gorgeous new outfits!"

"Wha?" Shirley demanded, bringing her arms up to her chest protectively. "You mean we're going to model them?"

Suzaku sat down obediently where Milly shoved him. "Really?"

"No!" Both Shirley and Lelouch objected. Lelouch continued. "It's not really appropriate…"

"Pfft, appropriate." Milly snorted dismissively. "We need an unbiased male opinion before we go out in public, and you're male. Even Lulu counts. Just sit down and be properly appreciative and we'll be back." She grabbed Shirley's arm and pulled her into one of the other rooms. "Nunnally, we'll change in the games room."

"Coming!" Nunnally followed.

Lelouch groaned and sat down by Suzaku. "This is not really how I imagined spending this evening."

"Me neither," Suzaku agreed. "But hey, at least you count as a guy. That's something."

When Milly pushed a flustered Shirley out followed by Nunnally, all of them in new clothes, they were greeted by the sight of Suzaku pinning a red-faced, furious, and flailing Lelouch to the couch.

Nunnally clapped her hands happily. "It's been a while since they've been this carefree with each other." Milly gave a low whistle.

Shirley simply wished the floor would open under her.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

After the homemade fashion show and desert, Shirley and Milly finally left. Suzaku helped Lelouch tuck Nunnally in bed and then headed back to the parlour with Lelouch.

"Will you stay?"

The question took Suzaku by surprise. "What?"

"You have school tomorrow, don't you? All day, I mean." Lelouch smiled. "It just strikes me as more convenient if you slept over instead of having to travel to and from the base."

"Yeah…" Suzaku considered it. It would be more convenient for him, and he already had his uniform here, but it wouldn't be more convenient for Sayoko with another room to clean. Also, it meant that he'd be interfering with Lelouch's morning with Nunnally. After everything than had happened, he figured the siblings could use some extra time together, just the two of them. Still, it was nice of Lelouch to offer. "I should be fine. Thanks though."

Lelouch accepted that easily. "The offer's open if you ever need it."

Suzaku grinned. "Yeah, I know."

Lelouch nudged his shoulder. "Don't get cocky."

Suzaku nudged back, harder. "Then stop reassuring me. I'm fine now, really. Thanks to you."

"If you say so." Lelouch sighed. "You're not alone, Suzaku. Not anymore."

"I know." Suzaku tuned away and toed on his shoes. "I do." He looked up. "You're not either, Lelouch. If there's anything I can do, anything at all to help you or Nunnally…"

"I will call on you," Lelouch promised. He'd been seriously considering asking Suzaku to become Nunnally's Knight – even though she was in exile and Suzaku was a Number – for a while now. After the kidnapping, it seemed like an even better idea. And if the rebellion took Lelouch away, then he could leave knowing that Nunnally was in good hands.

This wasn't the time to bring it up, but Lelouch felt better knowing that Suzaku would likely be willing.

"Thanks," Suzaku said, blushing slightly at Lelouch's pledge. "I should go. Lights out is at 2300…"

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Tomorrow." Suzaku waved and walked off.

"He's in a good mood considering."

Lelouch sighed. "You mean considering he's being investigated for the murder you committed?"

C.C. shook her head slightly from the shadows as she moved into the light. "No, I meant considering he was two seconds away from a complete breakdown when he walked in."

"…fair enough," Lelouch conceded. Suzaku _did_ look much better then he had when he'd appeared on Lelouch's doorstep looking panicked and ashamed. Lelouch was actually rather pleased at that, almost proud. He hadn't known that C.C. had been home before that – if he'd known he would have talked to her about Mao's death. The more information he had, the better he was able to plan.

He closed the door and leaned against it, facing C.C. "How was Mao's body found in the first place?"

If C.C. was taken aback by Lelouch's change of topic, she didn't show it. "I'm not sure. After I shot him, I realized I couldn't move the body, so I ditched the gun and left."

Sometimes Lelouch felt silly planning for every conceivable scenario before making his move. And sometimes (now, for instance) he wished other people would do the same for once. "…where did you get the gun from?" There was nothing he could do about C.C.'s lack of foresight – best to just move on.

"It was one of the ones you got for the Black Knights."

That was a relief – they were untraceable and untouched. As long as C.C. had been minimally careful… "Did you wear gloves?"

"…no."

Lelouch winced. "Fine. Would there be any readily available record of your fingerprints?"

C.C. cocked her head slightly. "Your brother had me locked away where scientists ran experiments on me and recorded every singe reaction and detail."

Lelouch closed his eyes and brought his hand up to massage his forehead. "That's… just great."


	5. Cold Case

"The ballistics report is back."

Lisbon snatched the paper from Van Pelt's grasp. "Finally. What was taking them so long?"

Van Pelt shrugged, waiting for Lisbon's next reaction…

"What? How is this even a report? They found a print, but they haven't matched it yet?"

Van Pelt shrugged. "It's the first real piece of evidence we've got so far, boss."

Lisbon sighed. This case was taking far too much time and resources, considering. "Fine. At least the results should be in by the end of the day. Do you have anything else?"

"I do, but I'm not sure you want to hear it…"

It took Lisbon a moment, but she caught on. "Would this have anything to do with Kururugi and Zero?"

"…yes?"

Lisbon made a quick shoulder check. Jane was nowhere in sight. "Fine. What do you have?"

Van Pelt shot her a quick grin. "The timeline is interesting. Kururugi was the first person Zero showed any interest in and, from what we can tell, it was before he even started the Black Knights." Lisbon waved at her to hurry up. "Anyhow, he rescues Kururugi from his trial, only Kururugi comes back and gets a proper trial and is acquitted."

"Lack of evidence, right?" Lisbon asked.

Van Pelt nodded. "Exactly – not 'innocent', but 'not guilty'. After that, there was the hotel incident and the unveiling of the Black Knights. Kururugi was there, but he didn't do much. But at Narita…" Van Pelt leaned forward eagerly. "Kururugi radioed in that he'd captured Zero."

Lisbon's lips twitched. "Really? You'd think they'd've mentioned something about having Zero under guard."

"He never was. By the time Kururugi's back-up gets there, Zero's Knightmare is destroyed, but he's nowhere in sight and Kururugi's Knightmare is malfunctioning – misfiring all over the place. They had to wait for his energy filler to run out before bringing him back to base."

"Unfortunate, but that doesn't convince me there's a link."

"There's more." Van Pelt grinned. "When the army went after the remains of the JLF, Kururugi was there too, and Zero attacked. He disabled Zero's Knightmare _again_, and Zero got away. Again."

That was a pattern. "Other than that, is there any evidence that Kururugi is in contact with Zero at all?"

"No." Van Pelt admitted. "Other than that, he's shown valour and bravery above and beyond in battle. He doesn't have many kills to his record, but his tally of disabled more than equals his peers. In fact, he's the only person who's come even close to getting Zero – even Her Highness, the Viceroy Cornelia hasn't fared as well. But every time he does, Zero somehow gets away."

Lisbon hummed thoughtfully at that.

"We should bring him back in." Jane poked his head around the cubicle separator.

Van Pelt and Lisbon both jumped, but only Lisbon yelled. "Jane! How long were you there?"

"Long enough," Jane answered, enigmatic as usual. "Can I interview the Eleven soldier? Please?"

Lisbon just shrugged. "Sure."

Jane grinned and Van Pelt's jaw dropped. "Really, boss?"

"Why not?" Lisbon said. "The coroner's report was unremarkable but we have a print from ballistics. Everything else is just wasting time. And Jane is good at that."

"I am." Jane nodded sincerely. "Should I take Van Pelt with me? You know, have an actual agent there…"

"Go ahead." Lisbon waved them off. Van Pelt beamed and grabbed her jacket, following Jane out.

"Thanks. I was getting kinda stir-crazy in there."

Jane patted Van Pelt on her shoulder. "Yes, I know."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku had been having a fairly normal morning, which was a nice change from the recent chaos. Even Lelouch had been in class today, napping but at least present. Unfortunately, during the break between second and third period, he caught sight of a pair of people who were familiar, yet out of place.

He could see the whispers and rumours already starting as Van Pelt and Jane approached him. He smiled, trying to look friendly and harmless, but mostly he felt a sudden exhaustion. "Do you need to speak with me again?"

Jane grinned. "I love it when they're quick on the uptake."

Van Pelt shot him an almost apologetic glance. "We just have some additional questions and would appreciate your cooperation. This is just for follow-up. Routine." Her voice was raised loudly enough that it could be easily overheard, making sure that the rumours wouldn't be too juicy. Suzaku appreciated that.

"Sure, the Student Council Room should be open…"

"Sorry, but this time has to be more formal," Jane said. He lowered his voice, making it more intimidating. "We're bringing you downtown."

The whispers started up again. Suzaku sighed – this brand of menace was more irritating than threatening after dealing with Zero. "Of course, sir."

"Great!" Jane changed gears as abruptly as Lloyd, Suzaku was beginning to realize. "I'll drive back."

Van Pelt looked like she wanted to object before sighing and handing Jane the keys. "Make sure to belt up, Mr. Kururugi."

The ride wasn't as harrowing as Van Pelt made it seem; at least not to an experienced pilot of a Knightmare. Suzaku could tell that Jane, for all his reckless driving, was focused and knew what he was doing. Van Pelt, white-knuckled and wide-eyed, didn't seem as certain.

While waiting at a red light, Jane took the opportunity to poke his head in the backseat. "You doing okay back there?"

"Just fine," Suzaku answered.

"See?" Jane asked rhetorically. "I don't get what you and Lisbon have against my driving. Cho and Rigsby don't mind it."

"That's because boys are stupid," Van Pelt ground out between clenched teeth.

Jane laughed. "Naw, it's because Cho wouldn't complain about such a niggling thing and Rigsby's just as bad as I am." The light changed and the conversation was mercifully cut off.

Suzaku was escorted to the same interview room he and Lelouch had been taken to before.

…Lelouch. Suzaku hadn't even thought of him until now. He hadn't said anything to him – would Lelouch miss him, be worried about him?

Probably not. Third period was gym and the chance of Lelouch attending and noticing Suzaku's absence was pretty slim. Suzaku had at least an hour until Lelouch figured it out.

Suzaku hoped that would be enough time to get a message to him not to worry.

Lisbon was waiting for them, trusty file in her hands. "This is your show, Jane." She passed the file to him. Suzaku felt a vague sort of instinctive dread.

"Excellent." Jane grinned at Suzaku again, this time looking distinctly wolfish. "Have a seat, Kururugi."

Suzaku sat.

Jane leafed through the file for a moment. Suzaku tried not to squirm.

"Tell me about Zero."

The question threw Suzaku so off-guard, he didn't even have time to be surprised. "What?"

Jane waved his hand in the air. "Not about the media stuff. What was he like in person?" He leaned forward. "You know, it's actually a rare honour to have a private meeting with Zero. The only other people he met with privately have been royalty. Prince Clovis. Princess Euphemia…" Suzaku sucked in a deep breath. "…you know the princess?"

Suzaku had decided not to lie. "She is very kind." The thought of her alone with Zero…

Jane looked distinctly impressed. "Interesting. So. Tell me about Zero."

"He is…" Suzaku tried not to sound as full of hatred as he was. "He is everything that is wrong with the world." Well. That plan hadn't worked. "He is hatred and arrogance. He claims to fight for justice and to protect the innocent, but he applies his own standards without any accountability."

"He's trying to free Japan," Jane reminded him gently.

Suzaku shook his head. "Japan doesn't need it! We have peace; isn't that more important than who's in charge? Should people die and kill so that the land is owned by the people born here? The land doesn't care, only people care – people like Zero and my father."

Jane wasn't prone to psychoanalysis. In his opinion, Freud was working with poor tools and partial information as well as societal limitations. But when the suspect throws out a daddy comparison of his most hated enemy, it was hard to avoid. "Zero and your father?"

Suzaku, to his credit, didn't take it back. "They both think it's more important what people are called and who they bow to than the fact that they're alive and allowed to keep living their lives."

"And you disagree."

"I will do anything to preserve the peace and ensure that Japan remains peaceful."

"…you mean 'Area 11', don't you?"

Suzaku blinked, as if remembering where he was and who he was talking to. "Yes. Sorry, Area 11."

Jane leaned back. "You still haven't told me much about Zero. Why do you hate him so much?"

There were a lot of reasons. Suzaku had known, from their first conversation, that Zero wasn't Japanese. His English when speaking to the soldiers during Suzaku's rescue and his Japanese when speaking with Suzaku both pointed to him being a Britannian or possibly from one of Britannia's numbered colonies. He had no place leading a Japanese rebellion. Also, when he'd offered Suzaku his freedom in return for Suzaku's loyalty and service, he'd been completely unrepentant about what he'd done in Japan's name. The assassination of a prince, risking hundreds of lives… these meant nothing to Zero. He'd proven that time and time again – at Narita and even during the drug busts, his Black Knights took out members of the police force as well as the drug dealers.

The ends justifying the means – an evil philosophy.

And then there was the fact that he hid his identity while criticizing those who acted openly. If he was genuine in his desire to change the world, why was he hiding himself from that same world? Clearly he knew his actions to be wrong, or he'd own up to them. It was hypocritical and cowardly.

But the greatest reason of all was that no one was safe from him. Suzaku could easily see a future where Euphy, Lelouch, Nunnally, the students at Ashford… where they could all be placed at risk from Zero. He was dangerous and callous and Suzaku would be damned before he allowed such a man to act and threaten those he loved.

But this was too complicated to explain. Suzaku ordered his thoughts in order to answer Jane's question.

"I–"

"Suzaku!" Lelouch burst into the room, furious, but clearly winded. He looked like he had more to say, but was having trouble catching his breath. "You… don't…" _gasp_ "just… keep quiet."

The message was clear. Suzaku clamped his mouth shut and looked contritely at Jane and Lisbon. Lelouch continued gulping in air as his flush face regained its normal colour. Had he run all the way from Ashford or something?

Apparently Lisbon was thinking somewhat along those same lines. "What are you doing here, Mr. Lamperouge?"

Lelouch swallowed hard before he was able to answer. "I was informed that Suzaku had been taken in for questioning." His voice still sounded breathless, but there was the cold steely sound of suppressed anger behind it. He looked at Lisbon. "I thought it was agreed that we would be interviewed together."

Lisbon didn't back down. "And you were at first. We just had some further questions for Mr. Kururugi."

"I don't recall a time limit on our agreement," Lelouch shot back.

"There was no 'agreement'," Lisbon explained patiently. "There was a concession made at the time because you were both young and shaken. That concession was over the moment I decided it was."

Lelouch's spread his arms in an angry gesture. "Interviewing a minor without an adult present…"

"Mr. Kururugi is an officer in the Britannian army. His commanding officer's permission is all we need. And we have it." Lisbon opened the interview room door. "I don't know how you got in here past security, but I'll have to ask you to leave. _Now_, Mr. Lamperouge."

Lelouch hesitated. He had no standing here, no authority. But he couldn't abandon Suzaku. Two security guards appeared the moment Lisbon opened the door, ready to follow her instructions. Lelouch's mind whirled; he would be no match for them physically, and with no ground to stand on, he didn't even have the beginning of an argument to be allowed to stay. The only thing he could do was tell Suzaku not to say anything, which would just make the situation worse, making it look like Suzaku had something to hide – which he didn't; only Lelouch knew about C.C. and Mao's murder.

Fortunately, the decision was made for him. "Aw, c'mon, Lisbon. The kid's panicky and worn out. Don't you feel even a little sorry for him?"

Lisbon faced Jane. "And I suppose you're just brimming with pity?"

"Sympathy!" Jane corrected. "He worked so hard, it's unfair to just kick him out. Let's let him stay."

Lelouch's face flamed up again with anger and humiliation, but Lisbon wasn't even looking at him. She glared at Jane, unsure who was more irritating at the moment – the obstructive boy, or her snide consultant. In the end, the thought that the two of them deserved each other made her decision easy. "Fine. Go to it." She walked out the door, closing it firmly behind herself, sealing Suzaku and Lelouch in with Jane.

This should be an interesting diversion if nothing else.

Cho and Rigsby came up behind her. "Jane still in there?" Cho asked.

"Yup," Lisbon answered. "He's got both boys now. We're really just wasting time until ballistics comes back."

"Huh." Rigsby leaned against the wall. "So this is what… entertainment?"

"Pretty much." Lisbon would have normally felt bad about leaving two boys to fend off with Jane purely for amusement, but if anyone deserved it, it was Lelouch. It was a pity that Suzaku was caught up in the mess, though. That guilty thought made Lisbon return to the room, hoping to offer another stabilizing presence for the poor boy.

In the interview room, Suzaku was still keeping very quiet, following Lelouch's lead. Lelouch, still tired, although breathing normally, pulled up a chair to the table and sat down beside Suzaku before he could be told to do so. No meaningless posturing and defiance from him. Yet.

Jane leaned back. "We were just talking about Zero."

That seemed to surprise Lelouch as a flicker of something other than petulant anger flitted over his face for a moment before disappearing. "Why?"

"We hadn't gotten that far yet. So far, all we've uncovered is Suzaku's deep-seated hatred of Zero."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I fail to see how that had any bearing on that man's death. Unless he was an ally of Zero's…"

Suzaku's eyes widened and he looked at Jane. "Was he?" There was an almost anxious eagerness to his question.

Jane just smirked. "Just keep answering questions and I might tell you." He had no idea.

Lelouch shrugged. "I don't really want to know that badly."

Ooh. Playing hard-to-get were we? Jane kept his smirk on. "Incidentally, Lelouch, what's your opinion of Zero?"

"He killed a friend's father," Lelouch retorted. "How do you_ think _I feel about him?"

"Nice dodge," Jane said, approvingly. "But since it's not your relationship to Zero that is in question, I don't really care what you think. Just what Suzaku thinks."

Suzaku looked to Lelouch, almost for permission, before answering. "I hate him. I want him captured and unmasked and brought to justice."

Lelouch nodded. "There you go. Any other questions?"

Jane honestly had asked to have Suzaku brought here on a whim – out of interest to see what would happen rather that with any specific goal in mind. He was sincere in his hatred of Zero, that much was certain, and any possible link from him to the terrorist leader would be impossible to follow – if it could be followed, Suzaku would be following it. Lelouch's entrance had been a pleasant bonus, but not only was he not letting Suzaku talk, he wasn't playing word games, and he wasn't hiding important information. Instead, he was being difficult and obtuse just for the sake of it. This was a complete waste of time. Jane leaned back, determined to get _something_ out if this infuriating interview. "So how long _have_ you two been lovers?"

Lelouch scoffed. "An interesting theory, Mr. Jane, but we're not."

Jane looked between the two boys. "Ah. So it's unrequited then? That's unfortunate."

"It's not going to work," Lelouch challenged with a smirk. Jane ignored him, keeping his eye on Suzaku. Suzaku, meanwhile, wore an expression that was a cross between terrified and wounded. He'd had a rough morning, and Jane suspected that he wasn't as good at Lelouch at hiding sudden emotions.

"Lelouch. Look at Suzaku for once." Jane's voice was oddly gentle.

After a moment's hesitation, Lelouch did as he was instructed. Suzaku had tried to control his expression, and managed to look merely hurt and slightly ashamed. His pallor was in the process of being chased away by a blush.

All the belligerence drained from Lelouch. "…Suzaku?"

Suzaku looked down. "I… I never wanted to…"

It was fascinating, watching Lelouch's anger and energy drain from him in shock, then watching him recuperate. He pulled himself up, regarding Lisbon regally. "Have you and your team done enough now?"

Lisbon was mortified. If Lelouch or Suzaku had been adults, it would have still been inappropriate, but they weren't – they were _kids_. "We're done here. You can go."

"Thank you." Lelouch pulled Suzaku up, keeping a hold on his arm. "In the future, I'd appreciate it if you would keep your word and allow us to stay together. Awkwardness or not."

Lisbon just nodded, watching as Lelouch led a nearly trembling Suzaku to the elevators. As the doors closed behind them, Jane piped up. "Told you so."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The silence in the elevator was uncomfortable, stifling. Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "What the heck was that about?"

"It got us out didn't it?"

Lelouch nodded and faced the front again, his lips twitching. "It did. Did you see their faces?" Suzaku choked back a laugh. "The last time I saw you do something that clever was when we were kids and you groped that lady so we could get away with the bread for Nunnally. I should remember not to underestimate you."

"What's that supposed the mean?" Suzaku demanded. "I'm not an idiot."

"Well… I wouldn't go _that_ far." Lelouch grinned. "You're fast on your feet, but not an idiot…?"

When the doors opened, the people waiting to get on had to step back as the two boys nearly fell out of the elevator, still tussling.

Suzaku recovered his sense of propriety first. "Ah, sorry." He squirmed away from Lelouch, bowing slightly to the small crowd. "We're sorry."

"Don't apologize for me," Lelouch grumbled. "_I'm_ not sorry. Now let's get back."

Suzaku grinned. "Hey, how'd you even know I was here?"

"Rivalz ran and got me as soon as they showed up," Lelouch answered. "Honestly, you couldn't have delayed them for ten minutes?"

"I didn't exactly think the cavalry was coming," Suzaku shot back.

Lelouch looked away and nodded, suddenly subdued. Suzaku _never_ thought the cavalry was coming. He was so used to not being saved that the thought of someone willing and able to save him wasn't part of his reality. He didn't rely on others, because his experience taught him that others were unreliable. But he himself was the antithesis of that theory – almost neurotic in his desire and effort to be everyone else's hero. It was supremely unfair.

"Hey, Lelouch…" Suzaku rested his hand on Lelouch's shoulder. "Thanks."

Lelouch hadn't wanted to be thanked. He wanted Suzaku to _expect_ things like this from him. "It's nothing. I wasn't about to go to gym anyway."

"It's not nothing," Suzaku argued.

"Fine then, you're welcome," Lelouch said, smiling warmly at his friend. "In return, I demand that you skip the rest of gym class with me."

Suzaku grinned, happy again. "Easy enough." In all honesty, he was just happy to be heading back to Ashford. Except… "Uh, Lelouch… I don't have bus fare…"

Lelouch stifled his laugh. "Then it looks like you'll owe me again. Maybe I'll make you skip history too."

"Hey, I'm already behind in history…" Suzaku protested. Lelouch smiled and bowed his head over his wallet to hide his anxiety. Suzaku might not expect to be saved, but Lelouch was in a position to do so, with the resources of a growing criminal organization and the ability to get whatever he wanted without leaving behind a trail.

He would end this, and soon. Suzaku deserved peace.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The ballistics report came back that afternoon. The head of the forensic analysis department came up to Lisbon's office directly to deliver it.

This was a first.

"What do you think it means?" Van Pelt asked.

Rigsby shrugged. "Nothing good, that's for sure." Cho just grunted and looked slightly worried. Or possibly constipated.

Jane was lying on his worn leather couch with a magazine over his face. He likely wouldn't have contributed anything useful to the conversation anyway.

Rigsby fiddled with a pen. "They've been in there for ten minutes. How long does it take to go over a few fingerprints?"

"This isn't about fingerprints," Cho intoned. Van Pelt looked carefully at him. It _had_ been worry.

The door to Lisbon's office opened and the analyst left, still looking nervous. Lisbon followed him out, turning to her team with a furrowed brow. Jane was still under the magazine.

Cho grabbed a water bottle and tossed it to Lisbon. She made the catch and took a swig, clearly wishing it was something stronger, but looking less pale. "We're off the case."

"What?" Van Pelt gasped. She heard Rigsby echo her question, just as incredulously.

Lisbon raised her hand for silence "The print on the gun exists in the system, but it's protected by high-level security access."

"Higher than us?" Cho asked, more to accent the point than asking a question.

"Much." Lisbon swallowed. "His Highness Prince Clovis's own security."

Van Pelt blinked. "That's…" Clovis was dead and a prince, so the only two people who could override his security were Prince Schneizel as Prime Minister of Britannia and the Emperor himself. That was _somewhat_ above the power of the ABI.

"Yeah," Lisbon agreed, taking another swig. "So the case remains unsolved and we're off it."

"Is there a gag order?" Rigsby asked, sounding concerned. He was right to – if such an order was issued, just knowing about the murder was to possess dangerous information.

"Not yet," Lisbon answered. "But I don't think I have to tell you not to talk about this with anyone just in case. We need to contain this."

"Consider it contained," Cho said. Van Pelt and Rigsby nodded immediately in agreement.

Lisbon closed her eyes in relief. No one was making a big deal out of this. "Okay. Now, to be honest, this is the first time I've had to deal with this kind of situation, so I'm going to go to Minelli for guidance on this. We're going to follow his instructions to the letter, understood?" Again, she was met with three nodding heads.

…wait. Just three? "Jane?"

There was no answer from the supine man laying on the couch. His breathing was deep and steady, but he wasn't snoring. Lisbon hoped he wasn't asleep – she didn't want to have to go through all this again with him.

Rigsby kicked Jane's foot and Jane sat up, grumbling. "I heard you, Lisbon. Off the case, no gag order, but don't talk… got it." He frowned at Rigsby. "I was _thinking_."

"Of course you were," Lisbon said. "About what?"

"The case."

"Which we're off, so I don't want to hear anything about you harassing the former suspects. Understood?"

"Clear as crystal," Jane said. "But I'm still allowed to think about it, aren't I?"

Unfortunately, Lisbon could hardly prohibit that. "I suppose. The rest of you can take the day off. We'll start again tomorrow fresh."

Jane nodded as the others prepared to leave. He made himself comfortable on the couch again and stared up at the ceiling. Thinking.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Two hours later, long after everyone had left, Jane sat up with a start as everything suddenly clicked in place.

"Oh _shit_."


	6. Case Concluded if not Closed

There wasn't actually much time to slack off when Lelouch and Suzaku got back to school. Lelouch grabbed a book and dragged Suzaku to the roof where they spent the remaining few minutes of their gym class just talking about nothing much. When it was time for the next class, they were both relaxed and laughing, still amused by how the morning had ended and over how it had begun. When Suzaku stood up and brushed himself off, Lelouch stayed seated.

"Lelouch?" Suzaku asked curiously. "Class is starting soon."

Lelouch leaned back against the wall. "And I have the perfect excuse to skip." He closed his eyes and covered his face with the book. "Mmm… it's nice and warm here…"

He liked to think that Suzaku's sigh of exasperation held some fondness. "Lelouch, if you keep missing classes…"

"Just get going, boy scout," Lelouch retorted from under the book. "Tell everyone I'm being interviewed for the investigation if you want."

"I'm not going to _lie_." Suzaku sounded horrified.

"Then don't say anything," Lelouch said with a yawn. "You're just lucky I'm not making you skip with me, Suzaku-pillow."

Suzaku finally gave a resigned laugh. "Fine, fine. Will you be in class this afternoon?"

"Probably not," Lelouch answered. He couldn't see Suzaku shaking his head in affectionate exasperation, but he was sure it was happening.

"Alright, do you need me to bring you any class notes?"

"No. Just _go_." Lelouch waved him towards the roof door. After a moment, the sound of Suzaku's footsteps followed by the door opening and closing let Lelouch know he was gone.

He immediately stood up and walked the entire roof, making sure that no one else had chosen to hide up here. When he was satisfied that he was truly alone, he opened his phone and dialled a new number for the first time.

"Hello, Diethard Ried? This is Zero. I have something I need you to do for me…"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Jane tried to get through to Lisbon again and ended up leaving another message on her answering machine. It wasn't even suppertime yet; where could she be at this hour, away from her phone? At the gym?

…probably. Rigsby and Cho were similarly in whereabouts unknown and only Van Pelt had had the decency to record where she was (at a movie) and why she wasn't picking up (they'd requested all cell phones to be turned off before the movie).

Jane thrummed his hands on the steering wheel as he considered his options of waiting a few hours for Van Pelt's movie to be over and for her to turn her phone back on, or just going to Lelouch's house and confronting him alone. He'd left messages on everyone's phone, so they'd know where he was if something went wrong…

His car drove itself up to the house on the Ashford Academy grounds and parked.

Well. That decided that. Sometimes Jane loved his subconscious.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

C.C. lay back on Lelouch's bed, tossing the Zero mask up in the air and catching it. "Was your trip a success?"

"It was." Lelouch dropped a thin file on his desk, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Now I just have to figure out a way to get this into the ABI's hands."

"You could give it to them," C.C. deadpanned. Lelouch gave an unimpressed snort. "Or not." She dropped the mask on the floor, reaching for her Cheese-kun instead.

Lelouch sighed, bending down to save his mask. "Could you be more careful with that? There are complex and delicate gears in there…"

The doorbell rang.

C.C. cocked her head, which looked comical with her on her back. "Who could that be?"

"I have no idea," Lelouch said. Nunnally was supposed to be out with Sayoko until much later and he'd more or less told Suzaku to stay away. If this was Milly and her groupies again… "Stay here, I'll get it."

C.C. made a sound like an agreement and held out her hand for the mask again. Lelouch rolled his eyes and handed it to her before leaving.

When he opened the door and saw Jane standing there, he found himself wishing it had been Milly. "Mr. Jane. Do you have a warrant?"

Jane grinned. "Not a cop, as I'm pretty sure you're aware. Can I come in?"

As irritated as he was with Jane's very existence, Lelouch saw an opportunity when it presented itself. If he could _geass_ Jane and make him bring in the information that Mao was an international assassin who'd run afoul of other international assassins, and make him _believe _it, he and Suzaku would be left alone. "Of course. Would you like something?"

If Jane was surprised by Lelouch's sudden hospitality, he didn't show it. "Tea?"

"Have a seat, it'll be right there," Lelouch said, making his way to the kitchen. "Sayoko-san and Nunnally aren't here, so I'll have to leave you alone for a bit."

Jane absorbed that information without flinching. A big empty house with just him and Lelouch. "That's fine. Incidentally, Lisbon, Van Pelt, Rigsby, and Cho all know I'm here." Or would when they got their messages.

Lelouch stuck his head out of the kitchen while the water boiled. "What an odd thing to say." Jane just smiled and tried not to feel overwhelmed by the 'bad idea' feelings his mind was sending him. He mentally kicked himself. He was usually smarter, more patient, than this. But the thought of cutting his losses and retreating didn't sit well with him.

When Lelouch returned with the tea, Jane was sitting, looking completely composed. Lelouch set out the cups and saucers and poured with as much practiced skill as any dedicated housewife Jane had ever met. If the evidence wasn't so damning and conclusive, he would have had doubts just based on Lelouch's peaceful domesticity.

Just went to show you that profiles weren't perfect.

Lelouch leaned back with his tea, the picture of an unconcerned host. "Was there something specific you came for?"

"Actually, yes," Jane answered, taking his cup as well. Maybe Lelouch loved this set enough not to shoot first and ask questions later. "It's about you being Zero."

The look of shock was almost worth it. Lelouch froze completely, staring at Jane with wide eyes for a good thirty seconds. When his hand started to shake, he quickly placed his teacup back on the table. "What?"

"You don't really hide it all that well." Jane kept his tone casual. "You use the same mannerisms, only exaggerated; the same voice, only with a stronger timbre." A thought struck him. "And Suzaku hates you…"

Lelouch took a deep breath and smiled faintly. "He just doesn't understand. But that's okay."

…wait, was that a confession? "Are you admitting…"

"That I'm Zero? Yes." Lelouch drew himself up, every inch transformed into an arrogant man of power. "It's true that I wasn't hiding it. I've been waiting for someone to figure it out." He snorted in irritation. "I didn't think it would be _you_."

"Suzaku?"

"One of a few candidates," Lelouch said. Sayoko-san, Nunnally, even Euphemia had all the information they needed to figure him out. It was almost disappointing that it was this stranger who beat them. "Nevertheless, there remains the question of what you will do with the information, and what I should do with you."

Jane hadn't even come armed. "Do you want me to promise to keep your secret in return for my life?"

"No." Lelouch shook his head. "There's nothing to gain in making a man like you beg. You'd do it willingly, knowing that it would have no impact on your pride." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "However, you do possess enough strength to physically overpower me." In a smooth movement, he reached inside his uniform and pulled out a small handgun.

Jane raised his hands and looked Lelouch in the eye over the gun. "I'm surprised you carried that around, knowing that you were a murder suspect and could be searched at any time."

In reality, Lelouch had just had it on him from his excursion this afternoon to get Mao's false papers from Diethard's contact. "That's hardly your concern." An idea stuck him. "Stand up, Mr, Jane. I have something and someone to show you."

He was going to die. Lelouch was going to kill him, despite the messages left with the ABI agents. Jane stood, his mind racing. Lelouch smiled. "I recognize that look, Mr. Jane. Relax; as long as you follow my instructions, no harm will come to you, I swear."

With no other choice, Jane did as he was told. Lelouch shot him an approving look and gestured with his head. "If you would lead, I'll direct you to where we need to go."

They ended up at Lelouch's bedroom. Jane stared at the green-haired girl on Lelouch's bed, curled up with a stuffed animal and a mask easily identifiable as Zero's. Her expression was one of mild curiosity, which she directed at Lelouch after checking Jane out.

"C.C., this is Mr. Jane, an employee of the ABI. Mr. Jane, this is C.C., my… ally."

C.C. stood gracefully, padding her way to stand in front of Jane in bare feet. "Pleasure. Lelouch, what the hell?"

"Mr. Jane has intelligently deduced that I am Zero," Lelouch explained. Jane smiled weakly.

"So kill him." C.C. sounded completely uninterested. Lelouch laughed.

"You've become somewhat blood-thirsty since shooting Mao." Jane suddenly recognized her voice. _Forgive me, Mao…_ Lelouch shook his head. "You know I deplore wasteful murder."

"…your friend's father," Jane remembered.

Lelouch shrugged. "Unfortunate. But all great endeavours require sacrifice."

"And what are you sacrificing?" Jane demanded, irked by Lelouch's callousness.

Lelouch caught C.C.'s eye. "I don't know yet," He said softly. "She won't tell me. But inevitably, I will be separated from Nunnally and Suzaku. That will be sacrifice enough."

C.C. scoffed. "Silly boy. You have no idea…"

This was clearing a long-standing disagreement. Jane lowered his hands. They were getting sore. The movement caught Lelouch's eye, but instead of ordering Jane to keep them up, he just grabbed a file and tossed it to him. "Read this."

Jane did. It was a well-put together profile of Mao, the international assassin working out of Australia, the companies and countries he'd worked for, the enemies he'd made, and the various bounties on his head. It was all very official-looking and convenient. Too convenient. "This is a forgery, isn't it?"

"An expensive one," Lelouch agreed. "If you believed it came from a reliable source, could you convince your team that it was the truth?"

Well, given that the identity of Mao's killer – this girl, if Lelouch was telling the truth – was protected by the highest level of royal security, it was more than believable, it was credible. "Sure."

"Excellent." Lelouch smiled. "Then that's what we'll do."

"It still doesn't explain why he'd kidnap your sister."

Lelouch's smile turned into a scowl. "Does that really matter? Will the ABI keep pestering me and Nunnally if that question isn't answered?"

"Probably not," Jane answered honestly. The ABI investigated crimes and murders. They had no interest in Lelouch and Nunnally…

…Lelouch. Nunnally. They weren't common names, but when put together, they pinged something in Jane's memory.

"That's fine then," Lelouch was saying. "We can leave that a mystery and continue living our lives in peace."

…an older brother and his blind, crippled sister… no, that wasn't it. Jane thought further. They had no past before the war. They knew Suzaku Kururugi. Lelouch. Nunnally. Kururugi…

"Are you sure you want to use it without tying up all your loose ends?" C.C asked. "After all, you won't get a second chance."

Genbu Kururugi had been Prime Minister. Was that a connection… yes, that was something…

"It will be fine," Lelouch insisted. "I'm perfectly willing to have it explained away as a gambling grudge."

Genbu Kururugi, Prime Minister of Japan, had been in the middle of serious talks with the Britannian Empire about _sakuradite_ before the war. As a concession and an implied promise that they wouldn't attack, Britannia had sent over two royal children as 'guests'. Really hostages. But they had no one to protect them, since their mother had just been murdered. According to everyone they'd been killed in the war, but their bodies had never been found…

"Holy shit, you're Lelouch vi Britannia."

C.C. and Lelouch broke off arguing to stare at Jane. To both Lelouch and Jane's surprise, C.C. started laughing. "Oh, Lelouch. Can we keep him?"

"No! You're…" Lelouch snapped out of his stunned horror to glare at Jane. "How the hell did you figure that out?"

Oh. God. He was _right._ Jane felt his heart pounding in his throat. "You… Your Highness…" He dropped to one knee, trembling faintly. This was too big, too much. He'd been intimidated by Lelouch-as-Zero, but now knowing he'd toyed with royalty…

C.C.'s laughter rang out louder. Lelouch clenched his fists. "Stand up, you moron." His voice was tight with anger and panic. "Honestly, dealing with a rebel leader you're Mr. Suave, but an exiled princeling makes you quiver? Where's the logic in that? And quit laughing, witch, and let me think!"

Jane bowed lower in response to Lelouch's rant and C.C.'s laughter died down to muffled giggles. Lelouch took a deep breath. "Mr. Jane. Get up." His voice was much more controlled. Jane stood.

"Now." Lelouch raised his hand slowly, pointing at Jane. "Face me, and obey." When Jane's eyes met Lelouch's, he noticed that there was something wrong with his left one. Before he could analyze it further, Lelouch spoke. "When you leave here, you will forget everything about your visit other than it happened." He'd called his fellow agents, after all. "Instead, you will remember meeting with a trusted contact who gave you the information in this file. You will believe this information. You will convince your superiors that this information is true. You will deny any connection between Lelouch Lamperouge and Zero, as well as any connection between Lelouch Lamperouge and Lelouch vi Britannia. You will also argue against any deeper connection between Suzaku Kururugi and Zero." A thought struck him. "And stop telling people that Suzaku and I are gay. It's irritating."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jane intoned dramatically as the _geass_ took effect. Lelouch took him out of the room while still under the _geass_ to get him away from C.C., who just waved merrily at them as they left. By the time they made it back to the tea, Jane was back to normal.

"Huh, tea's cold."

Lelouch smiled. "Sorry about that, Mr. Jane. Would you like another cup, or was that everything?"

"Nope, that was pretty much it," Jane answered. "We won't bother you again, Mr. Lamperouge."

"I'm glad," Lelouch said.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"You know we closed the case yesterday, don't you?" Lisbon asked when Jane handed her the file, all eagerness and pride.

"Yes, yes, I know, but this was already in the works." Jane nearly bounced with an overabundance of energy that Lisbon would never admit was cute. "Just read it. You can burn it later if you want, but I think we have the right to know…"

Lisbon had to agree with that. Three days of mind-numbingly boring work with nothing to show for it was annoying. "Fine. Gather the others in my office and we'll go over this."

It was somewhat satisfying to know that the 'murder' was more of an international conspiracy. That wasn't their department in the first place, and professional hits on professional hitmen were nearly impossible to trace. Still, she felt somewhat bad at how much they'd inconvenienced Kururugi. It must already be hard for him, an Eleven in the Britannian army, and they'd just made it worse.

Still. That was the job.

"Why'd he kidnap that girl?" Van Pelt asked curiously.

"Who cares?" Rigsby shot back. "Maybe he was short on cash and someone hired him to scare the Lamperouge kid." He shuddered. "That kid's creepy."

"In any case, she's fine, so it's not our purview," Lisbon added. She tapped her fingers on the file. "Now, the only question remaining is whether or not to show this to Minelli." It had come through unofficial resources, and Minelli was already touchy about Jane's methods.

Cho shrugged. "Do you think he'd appreciate it?"

"Not really," Jane answered before Lisbon could. "But you're free to do whatever you want." He stood to leave.

Lisbon gathered up the file. "I will." She'd file it somewhere discreet. "Hey, what did Lamperouge have to say yesterday?"

"I thought the case was closed," Jane teased. He grinned and shrugged. "Not much. He was actually really polite considering how much he dislikes me."

"Well, at least he has _some_ good taste," Lisbon retorted. Honestly, though, she was glad to be rid of him. He was like a younger, less refined Jane. Dealing with one was more than enough.

Van Pelt suddenly piped up from her seat. "Are we still having case-closed pizza?"

Lisbon considered it. The case wasn't technically 'closed' – they hadn't found the killer, and wouldn't be allowed to try. But they'd done the best they could do in trying circumstances. "No. Case-closed pizza is reserved for when we _close cases_. Hence the name." She stood, looming over the seated agents. "Now get back to work, and close cases, already."

The chorus of "Yes, boss." was music to her ears.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Lelouch! Did you hear?"

Lelouch smiled at Suzaku as he ran up to him. It was nice to see him at school two days in a row. "Hear what, Suzaku?"

"The ABI have called off the case! We're not suspects anymore." Suzaku was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"That's great." Lelouch yawned. He'd been up most of the night with Diethard and Ougi, tracing rumours of Toudou's whereabouts. Nothing yet, but they had to be getting closer.

Suzaku shot Lelouch a concerned look. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."

"It's been a long few days," Lelouch said, smiling faintly. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so…" Suzaku didn't seem convinced. He placed his hand on Lelouch's forehead. "You don't seem warm."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "I don't have a fever. I'm not sick, just tired. It'll all get better now that I don't have to worry about potential jail time." He narrowed his eyes at Suzaku. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Suzaku asked innocently.

If the past few days had been harrowing for Lelouch, they must have been twice as bad for Suzaku, being an Eleven, being in the army, having his biggest secret exposed. But he looked as chipper as ever. Possibly _more_ chipper than usual. "Are you seriously indestructible?"

Suzaku grinned. "Of course! If I wasn't, do you think I could be good enough protection for you and Nunnally?"

…that again. Lelouch appreciated the sentiment, _really_ he did, but Suzaku's hero-complex could be just as exhausting at times as all the other stressors in Lelouch's life put together. And given that he was an overprotective brother of a blind and crippled sister, as well as the vice-president of the most chaotic and sadistic Student Council on Earth, _as well as_ the leader of the fastest-growing rebellion against the Britannian Empire, those were a _lot_ of stressors.

Of course, given that Lelouch had recently come to the conclusion that Suzaku would make the perfect Knight for Nunnally, his hero-complex was rather something of a boon.

"You don't have to be indestructible for that." Lelouch smiled, nudging Suzaku with his shoulder. "You just need to be Suzaku."

Suzaku's grin widened as he nudged back. "Thanks. Hey, you really do look tired. Do you want to sit the first class out? I'll tell the teacher…"

"Nah, it's math. I'll just sleep through most of it anyway," Lelouch said. "Sit beside me and wake me up if she calls on me, kay?"

"Deal." Suzaku nodded.

Lelouch smiled, glad to have his friend and his life back. He had only one minor regret – that he hadn't _geassed_ Jane to follow any future orders. A man like that in the Black Knights would have been invaluable.


End file.
